Orlov: list of authors of critical statement about "Memorial" in Chechnya was forged

The statement of Chechen NGOs criticizing the work of the HRC "Memorial" is nothing more but a vivid confirmation of impossibility for human rights activists to work in this republic. Oleg Orlov, head of the Centre, told about it to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"After Natasha Estemirova's murder, the HRC 'Memorial' made a statement running that Ramzan Kadyrov had made the work of human rights defenders in his republic impossible. He's now trying to refute these words, among other things, in the court. The Tver District Court of Moscow has found these words 'contradict the reality' and ruled to refute them. On January 12, 2010, the case will be considered by the cassation instance," said Oleg Orlov.

The "Statement of NGOs of the Chechen Republic about restart of the work of the HRC 'Memorial'" appeared one of these days in the website of the Chechen Ombudsman. It was signed by 32 activists of public organizations.

"Employees of the 'Memorial' (…) often approach the issues of defending human rights without taking into account local specificities, from the point of view of the uniform standards of western countries, with tough opposition to the existing power bodies, the legitimacy of which they, at the best, put under doubt," runs the statement.

"All their actions are not towards solving the available problems inside the republic or even in Russia as a whole, but abroad, with the aim to have sanctions imposed and requirements put forward to Chechnya and Russia by the international community. In other words, the actions of the 'Memorial' have an obvious political subtext," says the document, which was sent to different mass media.

"Many of the 'signatories' are decent people, whom we know for long as true human rights activists. Our guesses soon came true. Literally on the following day many of the alleged signatories told us that they not only never put their signatures under the text, but learnt about it already after it was widespread. That is, the authors of this statement and those who dispatched it didn't even somehow persuade or force people to sign it - they didn't even find it necessary to inform those, whose names they had put under the text, that the document was drafted and dispatched!" Oleg Orlov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"I can name now at least four heads of the organizations, who have stated that they hadn't signed this letter and allowed me to disclose it. <…> Besides, we know for sure about more than ten organizations, which had never signed the 'statement', but whose names were put there behind their back. We think that in fact there are much more of them," Oleg Orlov has added.

He has also noted that NGO activists fear for their safety; therefore, they cannot speak openly and clear out the matter.

The "Caucasian Knot" could not contact any of the signatories of the "statement".

Also, it was not possible so far to get any comments from the Ombudsman Nurdi Nukhazhiev; he was outside the access zone.