HUMANITARIAN GROUPS SAY NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

On August 1, four French-based international humanitarian NGOs, Medecins du Monde [Doctors of the World], Medecins sans Frontieres [Doctors without Borders-the Nobel-Prize-winning organization], Action Contre la Faim [Action against Hunger], and La Federation Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l’Homme [International Federation of Leagues for the Rights of Man] wrote to the United Nations Sub-commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights concerning the rapidly deteriorating situation of Chechens living both in Chechnya and Ingushetia. “Contrary to the recent declaration of Vladimir Putin,” the NGOs warned, “the situation in Chechnya is far from normalizing. Cleansing operations undertaken by the Russian military forces, indiscriminate arrests, summary executions, and torture are happening daily. And the first victims are the civilians…. The Russian authorities, together with the Ingush government [under retired FSB General Murat Zyazikov], are now implementing a plan of repatriations for the displaced people. It is to be completed by the end of September. Our organizations present in the region want to alert the international community to this plan of repatriations which are not taking place on a voluntary basis.” (Reliefweb.int, August 1)