Statement of representatives of Chechen public organizations on murder of Deputy S. Yushenkov

One more crime has been added to the sequence of murders of Russian political figures and governors. So, on April 17, 2003 the next vile outrage was committed: the member of the All-National Committee of Russia ?For termination of? the war and establishment of peace in the Chechen Republic?, the co-chairman of the Liberal Russia party, the deputy of the State Duma of the RF Sergey Nikolaevich Yushenkov fell a victim to the murders.

S. Yushenkov belonged to that category of people who could be assuredly named a face and conscience of the Russian state. Being a profoundly decent man, he did not divide people into ?insiders? and ?outsiders? and gave priority to the values common to all mankind. We, Chechen human rights activists, express sympathy with S. Yushenkov?s relatives and close people and grieve deeply, together with all progressive Russian public, about this irreparable loss. From the very beginning we took Sergey Yushenkov?s personality through the prism of his noble activity aimed at the restoration of violated civil rights and liberties in the Chechen Republic. We remember well that during the entire period of contradictions between Russia and Chechnya, even in the very thick of xenophobia and hostile attitudes towards Chechen people in Russia puffed up in mass media (as a mouthpiece of official propaganda), S. Yushenkov and his not numerous companions-in-arms kept their former positions and remained completely devoted to imperishable values. Besides he gave much energy to disclose the true initiators and performers of unforgettable house explosions in Moscow, Buynaksk, Volgodonsk and abortive act of terrorism in Ryazan. By this very reason Sergey Yushenkov posed a serious threat for certain circles that were interested to continue bloody massacre in Chechnya. Sergey Yushenkov was among those few deputies of the State Duma of the RF, who condemned criminal war in Chechnya and call Russian authorities to solve so-called ?Chechen problem? in peaceful ways. If then the voice of reason had been heard in the Kremlin, today we could have avoided many disasters overtaken Russian and Chechen people. The outrage committed by unknown criminals in Moscow on April 17, without any doubts, has political nature, and it is pointed first of all against human ideas that Sergey Yushenkov hold.

It is deplorable to realize that Russia has never learnt to take care of the outstanding representatives of Russian intelligentsia presenting the flower of the nation. Power can hardly pretend to be called democratic if it is not able to defend the right to life for its best sons and daughters, not speaking about a fate of the Chechen people who continually bear innumerable humiliation and whose right for worthy existence S. Yushenkov tried to defend.

The murder mentioned is not the only or the first in the sequence of crimes submitted to eliminate persons disagreeable for some people and become personas non grata for them. Therefore it is to become an alert for the Russian public, which must henceforth mobilize all of its spiritual resources to create a firm insuperable barrier on the way of those who try to outlaw the word of truth and the letter of the law.

The present statement has been singed by 24 organizations.

April 8, 2003

Nazran, the Republic of Ingushetia