[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 213 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 213

 Condemning human rights violations in Chechnya and urging a political 
                       solution to the conflict.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 28, 2002

 Mr. Wellstone (for himself and Mr. Brownback) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning human rights violations in Chechnya and urging a political 
                       solution to the conflict.

Whereas the United States Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights 
        for 2000 reports that the ``indiscriminate use of force by Russian 
        government troops in Chechnya has resulted in widespread civilian 
        casualties and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of persons'';
Whereas the United States Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights 
        for 2000 reports that Russian forces continue to arbitrarily detain, 
        torture, extrajudicially execute, extort, rape, and forcibly disappear 
        people in Chechnya;
Whereas credible human rights groups within the Russian Federation and abroad 
        report that Russian authorities have failed to launch thorough 
        investigations into these abuses and have taken no significant steps 
        toward ensuring that its high command has taken all necessary measures 
        to prevent abuse;
Whereas there are credible reports of specific abuses by Russian soldiers in 
        Chechnya, including in Alkhan-Yurt in 1999; Staropromysloviski and Aldi 
        in 2000; Alkhan-Kala, Assinovskaia, and Sernovodsk in 2001; and Tsotsin-
        Yurt and Argun in 2002;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation has cracked down on independent 
        media and threatened to revoke the license of RFE/RL, Incorporated, 
        further limiting the ability to ascertain the extent of the crisis in 
        Chechnya;
Whereas Chechen rebel forces are believed responsible for the assassinations of 
        Chechen civil servants who cooperate with the Government of the Russian 
        Federation, and the Chechen government of Aslan Maskhadov has failed 
        unequivocally to condemn these and other human rights abuses or to 
        distance itself from persons in Chechnya allegedly associated with such 
        forces; and
Whereas the Department of State officially recognizes the grievous human rights 
        abuses in Chechnya and the need to develop and implement a durable 
        political solution: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the war on terrorism does not excuse, and is ultimately 
        undermined by, abuses by Russian security forces against the 
        civilian population in Chechnya;
            (2) the Government of the Russian Federation and the 
        elected leadership of the Chechen government, including 
        President Aslan Maskhadov, should immediately seek a negotiated 
        settlement to the conflict there;
            (3) the President of the Russian Federation should--
                    (A) act immediately to end and to investigate human 
                rights violations by Russian soldiers in Chechnya, and 
                to initiate, where appropriate, prosecutions against 
                those accused;
                    (B) provide secure and unimpeded access into and 
                around Chechnya by international monitors and 
                humanitarian organizations to report on the situation, 
                investigate alleged atrocities, and distribute 
                assistance; and
                    (C) ensure that refugees and displaced persons in 
                the North Caucasus are registered in accordance with 
                Russian and international law, receive adequate 
                assistance, and are not forced against their will to 
                return to Chechnya; and
            (4) the President of the United States should--
                    (A) ensure that no security forces or intelligence 
                units that are the recipients of United States 
                assistance or participants in joint operations, 
                exchanges, or training with United States or NATO 
                forces, are implicated in abuses;
                    (B) seek specific information from the Government 
                of the Russian Federation on investigations of reported 
                human rights abuses in Chechnya and prosecutions 
                against those individuals accused of those abuses;
                    (C) promote peace negotiations between the 
                Government of the Russian Federation and the elected 
                leadership of the Chechen government, including Aslan 
                Maskhadov; and
                    (D) re-examine the status of Chechen refugees, 
                especially widows and orphans, including consideration 
                of the possible resettlement of such refugees in the 
                United States.
                                 <all>