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Minister
of Health Chechen Republic Umar Hambiev has given an interview to Italian radio
"Radicale". According to his own experience, the Chechen minister has
felt real intentions of Kremlin in Caucasus.
Mr.
Minister, you are a Chechen, Minister of Health, and a surgeon. What is
humanitarian situation in Chechen Republic?
Now
humanitarian situation is very critical. From our point of view, at present, it
is humanitarian catastrophe because over 90 percent of medical infrastructures
have been destroyed, and the situation has worsened these days. It became more
complicated as recently majority of the humanitarian
organizations
refuse to work and take their humanitarian aid to Chechen Republic. Therefore,
the situation is critical, both because of shortage of medicines, and because of
shortage of medical aid. Patients and wounded do not receive any help. It is a
humanitarian catastrophe.
During
the military operations, you were in Chechen Republic and still you live there.
Can you share your personal experience with us?
I
have been working as Minister of Health since 1995. As a doctor, I have gone through both the
first and second war. During war, I was in Grozney (Dzhokhar) and organized city
hospitals to help wounded in the besieged city. In February of last year along
with wounded and medical personnel, we were taken in captivity
and
transferred to "filtration camp ", a concentration camp. What is
happening in Chechen Republic? About it, I speak not from words of other people
but from myself as I have gone through it by myself.
What
is filtration camp? Can you explain?
These
concentration camps are comparable to those of fascist camps during Second World
War... In camps of the Second World War, people were destroyed physically. Today,
in these camps, people are destroyed morally and physically because that is
imposed on them and are deprived of their humanity. It is very difficult to
explain, very difficult to speak about it to those, who did not appear in a
similar situation, uneasy to understand, what I mean.
What
responsibility is taken by Russian army in the organization of these camps in
Chechen Republic?
So far responsibility is concerned, it turns out so, that nobody counts himself
responsible. Would there have been legal rules... However the situation is such,
that people are completely deprived of any right. Now in all these camps, there
are Russian officers, there are common holes, where the people sit and are
locked
there and let out only after payment of repayment by relatives. Therefore, we
speak that if Europe will demand for conduction of check, if there will arrive
commissions, which really will want to find out, that what is happening actually,
they will see these ditches and these holes which contain hundreds and thousand
of dying people.
Why
did humanitarian organizations leave Chechen Republic?
Russia
since long time wanted to keep humanitarian organizations out of Chechnya and to
do whatever they want to do in the Chechen Republic without letting any one from
abroad to see or hear and prevent them. The population today is in critical
position and has been deprived of witnesses, medical aid and meal. If there is a
term "genocide", I think that it’s meaning is not enough for todays
happening in Chechnya. Similarly Europe and rest of the world prefer to live
peacefully and without conscious, look, to live with conscious is much more
difficult.
Putin promised to reduce the number of Russian armies. According to some
sources of information, actually Russian armies will keep significant presence
in Chechen Republic. Is it so?
To
announce the reduction of number of military men is political trick for
international community and for all those who speak and watch the events in
Chechen Republic. Just right after these announcements about the reduction of
armies in Chechen Republic, some generals have publicly declared that any
reduction of armies will not take place... The declared conclusion of armies has
remained on papers only. When I speak about what Russian armies are doing in
Chechen Republic, many do not understand... They have besieged villages; above
these villages are flying and turning helicopters, which can block them at any
moment... And it is occurring in all villages... Such uncertainty, that anybody
in these villages is not sure that he will survive in these retaliatory
operations. Soldiers are controlled by nobody, wander in houses, and beat people.
Frequently are engaged simply in looting. They take anything they want
from
these houses, nobody can resist. It is happening frequently. After such cleaning
operations, the same day reach other forces, which had been assigned the task to
keep law and order by Russian military command. They want to show that they are
carrying out search and promise to witnesses “to punish terrorists, who are
disgracing Russian army”. They promise to all that they will punish the guilty
ones. After some days new “cleaning operation” starts, making arrests,
beating and killing the witnesses. These are methods used throughout Chechen
villages.
Let's
proceed to role of International Community. Some times back, Council of Europe
has restored the right of voting of parliamentary delegation of Russia in
assembly of the Council of Europe. How do you evaluate it?
This is hypocrisy. The situation in Chechen Republic is completely opposite to
that what is referred to as stabilization. Russia considers that this
restoration of right of voting is an approval of its policy of mass destruction
on part of international community and Europe. Today’s reaction in Russia, in
statements of politicians and mass media, is like this: Europe and the rest of
world have understood that we are operating correctly. The data available to us
before this right of voting was like this that in Chechen Republic died from 50
up to hundred civil persons daily. After voting, the figure has considerably
grown.
The Russian soldiers and officers speak that Europe has allowed them to shoot at
Chechens. Consequences for civilians are very serious. This voting of assembly
of members of parliament of the Council of Europe in any sense is the terrible
decision. I have started talking about it, because after that decision of the
Council of Europe, it became impossible to live in Chechen Republic. We have
been deprived of all rights and now even of our right to live. I can say that
with this voting, they have put the whole nation on the brim of destruction.
European
Commission of fifteen countries has also played its role. The commissioner on
humanitarian aid Nielsen never came to Chechen Republic. And the governments of
members’ countries practically declare nothing on this occasion...
Obviously, for countries of Europe all is the same, I think,
because
the majority of these countries are interested in economic relations with Russia,
in good economic relations. They consider that tears and blood of Chechens cost
much less than petroleum and gas….
Radio
" Radicale "
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