News > September 3, 2001

Forgotten War

As the conflict in Chechnya worsens, the media ignore it.

By Fred Weir

Editor’s note: After In These Times went to press, Russian authorities broke up a Chechen “March for Peace” only moments after it began, claiming the participants, mostly women and children, lacked permission to make the planned 70-day trek from Ingushetia to Moscow.

The march was organized by Russian human rights activists to raise awareness about a group of Chechen refugees who have been on a hunger strike since June to protest poor living conditions at camps in Ingushetia, where 150,000 Chechens have fled. The 1,200 mile route was was to end at the Kremlin with an appeal to end the 23-month-old war.

However, this incident comes just as Russian authorities are trying to persuade refugees that it is safe to return home. Officials estimate that 15,000 families could return to Chechnya within the next two months. But Daniil Mesherikov of the Helsinki Group insists these estimates are off the mark and that refugees will not return until they receive a guarantee of safety. “None of the initiatives to return refugees have been accompanied by security guarantees,” Mesherikov told the press. “There have been more and more frequent sweep operations in the areas where refugees are meant to return to. So, as a consequence, they prefer to live in these very difficult conditions [in the camps], in relative safety.”

• subscribe to print magazine

  First Name Last Name Home Address City State Zip Code Email

  2-year, 24-issues, $44.95 1-year, 12-issue, $24.95

• stay in touch with our email newsletter

  Subscribe to our regular weekly e-mail newsletter. It's packed with updates on recent and upcoming stories, events, campaigns and things every progressive should be informed about.

   

• email this article to a friend

  Your Name Your Email Recipient Email

  Personal message Thought you might be interested in this article from In These Times.

   

  Please help us prevent spam by verifying the word you see in the image above

  Send to multiple recipients. Just separate each email address with a comma.

• Reader Comments

  There are no comments on this article yet. Start the discussion below.

• register a new account »Posting Security

  To participate in our forums, please register for a free account.

  Username Password

    Remember me
  

  Retreive lost password »

Member Login

Also by Fred Weir

• Putin Is Gone! Long Rule Putin!
  With new president, Russians continue to forgo political voice for economic security
• From Autocracy With Love
  
• Ethnic Cleansing in Russia
  Putin stokes the flames of xenophobia by targeting non-Slavs in Georgia.
• No Reason to Exist
  
• ‘Managed’ No More
  Russians take to the streets to protest the privatization of their social welfare system.
• Deep Divide
  Ukraine's contested election reflects Russia's push to reunify