Acceptance speech of Lida Yusupova,
Laureate Martin Ennals Award
for Human Rights Defenders

7 April 2004, 13.00h, the studio of TSR, Geneva.

Press release in English
Broadcast of ZIG ZAG CAFE Special on TV5
Speech of Lida Yusupova
Communique de Presse en Français
Diffusions de ZIG ZAG CAFE sur TV5
Discours de Lida Yusupova
Русский Вариант
Речь

To receive the Martin Ennals Award is a great honor for me. I see this award above all as the recognition of Memorial's work and of all the human rights defenders in Chechnya. This award recognizes the work of all those who help my people to survive. And I think also that this award is a sign of solidarity by those who want to see peace and happiness prevail in Chechnya. And there many who want this: not only in Chechnya but also in Russia, in Europe and the rest of the world.

At the start of the second war in Chechnya, Europe and all democratic countries followed attentively events in Chechnya. They actively encouraged a political settlement of this conflict. The Government of Russia felt this interest and pressure. Although it could not stop this brutal massacre, who knows how many lives were saved thanks to the vigilance of the international community?

After the tragic events of 11 September 2001, Russia presented its military operations in Chechnya as part of the war on international terrorism. Russia became a strategic partner of the democratic states in the west and Russia got what it wanted: the western governments closed their eyes on what went on in the north Caucasus.  

But is it true – as the Russian officials say – that peace is being established in Chechnya, that the situation is stabilizing?   No, this is not the case. The inhabitants continue to die. They are completely the victims of arbitrariness. Armed and masked persons arrive in armored cars, burst into houses and take the inhabitants to an unknown place. Sometimes troops find by accident abducted people who have been tortured but the majority disappears. Most of these crimes go unpunished. Grozny is completely destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of people who have lost everything are awaiting compensation.  

Of course, all sides in the conflict have committed horrible crimes. Still, the number of civilian victims and the amount of material damage caused by the Federal Russian troops are higher. Moreover, these acts are committed by soldiers and policemen who are under the orders of an internationally recognized power, Russia, which has the obligation to respect human rights. In spite of this, the federal army, the police and the special service respond to the terrorist acts of the independence fighters with terror against the civilian population of Chechnya.

If stability means arbitrariness and impunity, then stability is a threat for the future of my country, that is: Russia as a democratic state. Moreover, arbitrariness and illegal acts serve only to increase the terrorist threat, for Russia, for Europe and the whole world.

Unfortunately, the tragedy in Chechnya goes nowadays unnoticed by the politicians and is practically forgotten by society. The media and the public have had enough. The murders, the disappearances, the torture have gone on for such a long time that they are considered routine.

Still, we should not give up and say that the situation is hopeless. There is still our conscience, there is still the memory of the victims of this war, there is still our duty to try and prevent further bloodshed. We have to prosecute all the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

In most European countries, civil society has not lost the possibility to influence the government and force them to change their policy. That is why we believe in your voice and your help. And this prestigious award, which you bestow today on me, is extremely important for me as it allows me to draw attention to what happens in Chechnya. It will help to mobilize public response against the continuing chain of murder and violence.

(translated from French)