How I was hostage
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Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 21:29:36 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: How I was hostage
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Kharon Deniev <[email protected]>
How I was hostage
Hi Boris,
I'm still alive but ordinary people and Chechens (particulary) in
Stavropol are becoming less and less safe because of political and
criminal conditions in Chechnya. Criminals from all North Caucasus
(NC) continue to take hostages. They keep those hostages usually
(mainly) in Chechen Republic. There is no power to stop stealing
people. It becoming extra profitable dirty business (?!). Almost every
day there is information on TV about taking or releasing hostages for
ransom.
January 9 there was taken a hostage in a Stavropol village (Edissija,
Stavropol region, Russia, 100 km far from Chechen border). Six people
of Nogai nationality and one Russian were among bandits. They killed
one policeman and went to Chechnya with 14 years old child. This child
was son of the influential bisunessman. He lives in Edissija. He is
Armenian by nation.
Armed people from that village (300-500 people) began to stop cars for
hostages of Chechen nationality. At that time I was on my way to
Chechnya - I was going on fact-finding mission (HR work among Russians
in Chechnya). I was stopped and taken as hostage. There were 24
hostages (24 people - 20 Chechens, 3 Dagestanian people and 1
Russian). We spent 17,5 hours as hostages. Stavropol authority and
power ministry (police, special forces etc.) did nothing (!!!) to
release us. If villagers were Chechens there will be second Budennovsk
but when Stavropolians took Chechen hostages nobody cares.
Next day (January 10) two Russian generals came to village from
Stavropol and they asked (!!!) villagers to release us. These generals
knew me. People from the village were ready to release me (not others)
to go to Chechnya to return that guy. But I strictly refused to be
released alone. I requested to release all hostages and after that I
would go to chechnya to look what I can do. Finally they accepted my
plan.
I spent 8 days in Chechnya trying to find out where they kept that
guy. I found him. But there was no chance to release him alive or
without killings. So kalled 'Vahabi' people took that hostage and kept
him in Urus-Martan district. But official Chechen authorities could
not go to that district. This district under Vahaby power. In Checnya
I was informed that I might be killed by 'Vahaby' if I myself would go
to Urus-Martan. So, I had to return to Stavropol. I returned to
Stavropol and informed Stavropol authorities about my trip.
Yesterday I was informed that several Armenian killers came from
Karabakh (Azerbaidgan) to Edissija to revenge for taking hostage. This
days may happen some killings among Nogai people, Chechens and
Armenians. But real criminals still will be unpunished and will
continue this strange business.
These days I do everything to prevent killings or taking hostages.
Several times I met head of Armenian community, power ministers,
published article in local newspaper, gave interview to local radio
etc, etc. We also trying not to let our children to go out without
elders.
These days our community needs moral support of HR community. If
someone wants to send fax to us - our number +7 8652 255233
Best,
Kharon Deniev, from burning North Caucasus.
Head of Checnen community of Stavropol region,
Independent Human Rights activist.
--
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