Andrei Sakharov, 1987

ASF Archive Documents

APPEAL TO THE WORLD COMMUNITY FROM THE LAM CENTER FOR PLURALISM

An emergency appeal from the Lam Center for Pluralism, one of Chechnya’s most important non-governmental organizations, and the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe. The appeal concerns the conditions faced by displaced Chechen civilians residing in refugee camps in Ingushetia and addresses the growing humanitarian crisis on the eve of the war’s second winter.
.

GROZNY/NAZRAN, October 15, 2000 -The military action in the Chechen Republic has led not only to mass killings of innocent civilians, but also to the complete destruction of the agricultural and economic infrastructure and the overall material base for existence of the population.

On the threshold of the second winter of the second war, many Chechen residents find themselves without homes, without proper clothing, and without any means of existence. They have been deprived both of life's basic necessities, and of all civil rights and freedoms.

The Russian military authorities continue to bomb civilian villages and illegally and arbitrarily detention of innocent people. The so-called zachistki ["cleansing operations" ] of Chechen villages amount to nothing more than extortion and pillaging by the Russian forces.

Every day, land mines claim the lives of more innocent civilians, including women and children.

Those who have lived through both wars are experiencing a stark rise in many health problems resulting from physical and psychological crisis; there is a severe deterioration of the physical and mental health of the entire population.

For displaced persons temporarily living in camps on the territory of Ingushetia, the situation has significantly worsened. Measures taken by the Russian Federation's temporary emergency administration and by various humanitarian organizations have proven insufficient and ineffective in relieving this suffering.

If this situation is allowed to continue, there will be a humanitarian catastrophe in Ingushetia resembling that which exists in Chechnya.

To prevent such a catastrophe, we believe that there must be:


Lam (“mountain” in Chechen) began as an organization bringing together intellectuals, artists, doctors, teachers, writers, and community leaders with the aim of preserving Chechen culture and heritage. Since the onset of the second war, it has broadened to become the leading Chechen NGO assisting in humanitarian relief, providing basic medical and mental health services, documenting war crimes, and promoting a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Related Documents:


Frame LayoutEmail ASF