Russian human rights defenders refuse to act as observers in Chechnya

Leading Russian human rights defenders have refused to act as observers in the forthcoming presidential elections in Chechnya slated for October 5. In a joint declaration, they stated that they were not prepared to assist the authorities in "creating the illusion of legality" in the election.

The declaration was signed by, amongst others, State Duma Deputy Sergey Kovalyov, the head of the organization "Civic Assistance" Svetlana Gannushkina, the director of the Museum and Public Center named after Andrey Sakharov Yury Samodurov, the leader of the Movement "For Human Rights" Lev Ponomaryov, and priest Gleb Yakunin.

In August of this year a number of Chechen non-government organizations, including the Society for Russian-Chechen Friendship, "Chechen Mothers' Pain", Committee for Search of Missing People and others, called on the international community to distance themselves from the elections "not to make this obviously dirty deed appear clean and legal". The decision of Russian human rights defenders is a response to this appeal.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow on September 9, Svetlana Gannushkina, Lev Ponomaryov and Yury Samodurov stressed that their human rights groups would continue as before to send their members to Chechnya on fact-finding missions but they would not act as official observers in these elections.

Svetlana Gannushkina, who has recently visited Chechnya, said the outcome of the elections had already been determined.

According to her, Akhmad Kadirov's associates threaten voters and promise to subject those who vote against him to repressions. The citizens are now "more afraid of Kadirov's people than either the federal forces or the rebels", said Svetlana Gannushkina.