International Helsinki Federation condemns break-up of meeting in Moscow to oppose armed conflict in Chechnya

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) condemned the break-up of a peaceful meeting today in central Moscow to oppose the ongoing armed conflict in Chechnya and to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the mass deportation of the Chechen people from Chechnya to Kazakstan.

According to eyewitnesses, that included Dr. Aaron Rhodes, Executive Director of the IHF, the demonstrators had just commenced a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the Chechnya conflict when police moved in and roughly detained the demonstration organisers, Lev Ponomarev, Executive Director of the Movement for Human Rights, and Nikolai Khramov of the Transnational Radical Party, as well as approximately eleven other persons believed to be members of that party.

At time of writing, Lev Ponomarev and Nikolai Khramov and other detainees were still being held in two separate Moscow police stations under unclear circumstances.

"There is no legal basis for either prohibiting this peaceful meeting or for breaking it up," stated Dr. Rhodes. "The IHF condemns this attack on people who had gathered peacefully to express their opinion and calls for the detainees to be released," he added.

Dr. Rhodes stated, "It is disturbing that the authorities chose today to violate human rights apparently in order to keep up appearances for the official celebrations of the military." Moscow city authorities had denied the demonstrators permission to hold the meeting on vague grounds, stating that the day was an official holiday; 23 February is Defence of the Fatherland day, to celebrate Russian armed forces and their contribution to defending the country. According to witnesses present at the meeting, there were no other activities or gatherings taking place in the area.

"On the eve of presidential elections, when the authorities should ensure a plurality of discourse, we are witnessing the reverse", Dr. Rhodes added. "We call upon the Russian authorities to uphold their obligations under international human rights law to permit freedom of peaceful expression and of assembly."

International human rights law, such as the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms to which Russia is a state party, obliges states positively to uphold the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. Restrictions may be no more than necessary in a democratic society or if there is a genuine risk to national security or public safety. The IHF considers that the refusal of Moscow city authorities to grant the organisers permission to hold the meeting is a clear violation of the European Convention of Human Rights. The organisation also considers that the detention of the demonstration organisers and break-up of the meeting is a further violation of Russia's obligations under international human rights law.

The IHF has consistently protested human rights violations committed during the continuing armed conflict in Chechnya, regardless of the perpetrator. It has also condemned incidents, such as the mass hostage-taking at a Moscow theatre in October 2002, suicide attacks at a rock concert in August 2003 and the apparent suicide attack on the Moscow metro in February 2004 which have been linked to Chechen fighters and which claimed the lives of over one hundred and fifty civilians.

23 February 2004

Editors note: See also the article "Organizers of picket timed to anniversary of deportation of Chechens face fine".