North Caucasus NGO Monitor - May

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Subject: North Caucasus NGO Monitor - May

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Andre Kamenshikov <[email protected]>

North Caucasus NGO Monitor - May


North Caucasus NGO Monitor
 
1. Charitable hospital in Dagestan.
 
The League for the Protection of Mother and Child is a Charitable
Dagestan NGO, registered in 1993.
 
The activities of the League are focused at defending the rights and
providing assistance to women and children, especially from low-income
families.
 
A major focus of the League is rendering medical and psychological
aid. For this purpose the League was able to open a charitable
hospital for women. Many of the women in the hospital who are
receiving psychological aid have lost relatives in violent conflicts
or as victims of abductions and other criminal activity.
 
The League also provides medical consultations to women, helps them in
getting necessary medicines, offers psychological support. The League
maintains contacts with women who suffered during wars and military
conflicts.
 
The League participated in organizing a conference with women -
refugees from Chechnya. Also it organizes lectures on conflictology.
 
For low-income families the League organizes charitable lunches and it
organized a shelter for the homeless.
 
Representatives of the League participated in different conferences,
such as:
 
o "For the elimination of landmines";
o "Peace to the Caucasus";
o "Women against violence and war";
o "White scarf on the Don", etc.
 
The League actively cooperates with a number of Russian and
international organizations, such as:
 
o "Friends House", Moscow;
o "Union of Women of the Don";
o "Women of Armenia";
o "Women's Union of Dagestan";
o "Aid to the sick" (Kuwait), etc.
 
Address: Ermoshkina Street, house 3,
 
Mahachkala, Dagestan Republic, Russian Federation
 
Tel.: (8722) 67-29-74
 
Head of the League: Magomedova Aishat Shoyubovna
 
2.  Plans to picket government offices in Moscow.
 
The Ingush NGO "Union of the Deported from north Ossetia" is planning
to set up pickets in front of the Government of the Russian
Federation, the Federation Council and the State Duma of Russia during
the summer of 1999.
 
This plan came as a reaction to the unresolved problem of the Ingush
people - refugees from North Ossetia and the lack of substantial
progress in ensuring their return to their homes - 7 years after the
Ossetian-Ingush conflict in October of 1992.
 
In this conflict which broke out in the Prigorodny (Suburban) district
of North Ossetia many hundreds were killed, others were taken hostage.
Nearly 70,000 people became refugees, the bulk of them - Ingush who
lived in the Suburban Region. Most of their houses were destroyed and
only a small part of these people was able to return since.
 
The nongovernmental organization "Union of the Deported from North
Ossetia" was organized in 1993 and since then has been lobbying for
the return of the Ingush.
 
However, the activities of this organization have been hindered by the
lack of attention on the part of government structures and by
inadequate level of cooperation with other human rights organizations.
 
Address: Itazova street, house 58
Ingush Republic, 366720, Russian Federation
 
Chairman: Kotiev N. S.
 
3.  Chechen activist abducted.
 
In the March issue of the North Caucasus NGO Monitor we wrote about
the activities of the Chechen Social - Charitable Fund "Berkat", that
was working in the field of religious and cultural education in
Chechnya.
 
On April 29 Abuzar Sumbulatov, the head of the "Berkat" Fund and a
leading specialist on religious and cultural issues in Chechnya was
abducted from his house in Grozny. Abuzar's brother and a college
Andrei Sharmanov, who worked in the same organization, were severely
beaten by the attackers.

The next day many hundreds of people gathered in front of Abuzar's
house to protest the abduction.
 
The goal of the people, responsible for the abduction remains unclear.
Though Abuzar has previously held some important positions (for a
while he was the Minister for Religious Affairs) he could not be
considered a wealthy not a wealthy person. He was, however, widely
respected as a serious intellectual and person of high moral statue.
 
He had working relationships with both the Moscow-backed government of
Solambek Hadjiev and the current pro-independence government headed by
Aslan Mashadov. He was, however, strongly opposed to various extremist
movement which have currently been spreading throughout Chechnya and
actively worked toward giving people in Chechnya a better
understanding of Islam and other world religions, showing the
interconnections and common values, shared by different faiths. These
activities are seen by many as possible reasons that may have
triggered his abduction.
 
We would like to stress that Abuzar Sumbulatov and his organization
was one of the most active NGO's in Chechnya and a good partner of
Nonviolence International.
 
In the summer of 1998 Andrei Sharmanov, Abuzar's collegue spent two
weeks in Moscow working with our organization, designing projects to
expand the work on religious and cultural education in Chechnya. The
"Berkat" Fund was also instrumental for the publication of this
"Monitor". We will certainly do everything possible to continue
providing information about NGO activities in the North Caucasus,
including Chechnya, but we must admit that such events seriously
hinder our ability to gather valuable and genuine information about
the activities in the region.
 
We pray for the safe release of Abuzar Sumbulatov and we asked all
readers of our "Monitor" to use every opportunity they have to raise
this issue with Russian and Chechen officials. In today's grim
situation in the North Caucasus and especially in Chechnya the
activities of such people as Abuzar Sumbulatov and his colleges is the
only source of hope.
 
Address: Nagornaya Street, 8
Grozny, Chechen Republic

 
"North Caucasus NGO Monitor" is a publication produced by members of
the Nonviolence International - Newly Independent States" (NI-NIS) on
a fellowship from the Open Society Institute in Budapest. Its goals
are:
 
o to help in exploring new approaches for humanitarian
  activities which allow supporting elements of civil
  society in the North Caucasus, while significantly
  lowering the security risks associated with such activities;

o to provide continuous information about constructive
  activities of NGO's on a community level in areas of
  tension and conflict in the North Caucasus;

o to highlight the work of dedicated local activists, who
  despite extreme difficulties work toward peace,
  reconciliation, social and economical revival of their
  communities.
 
Phone and fax numbers in the bulletin are given with the Russian
internal area codes. When dialing from outside Russia or the CIS
states, the numbers provided must be preceded with 7 - Russia's
country code.
 
Names are given according to the Russian standard - surname before the
first name.
 
For questions and comments as well as to get additional information
about NGO activities in the North Caucasus please contact:
 
Nonviolence International - Newly Independent States,
 
Contact person - Kamenshikov Andre
 
Luchnikov Lane, house 4, entrance 3, room 2
Moscow, Russia, 103982
Tel. (095) 206-8618 or 351-4855, fax 206-8853,
E-mail: [email protected]
http: www.glasnet.ru/~ninis

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