Shevchenko: social basis of terror is on steady rise in Northern Caucasus

Despite almost everyday special operations aimed at liquidating militants, the social basis of terror in Northern Caucasus has been steadily growing, primarily because the region lacks any political and religious power rejecting terror. This was stated by Maxim Shevchenko, a member of the Public Chamber and head of the working group for promoting public dialogue and civil society institutions in the Caucasus, in the course of a working meeting.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the working group of the Public Chamber for promoting public dialogue and civil society institutions in the Caucasus held a meeting on September 27, together with the "Focus Media" Foundation for Social Development and Health Care, where the idea of signing an anti-terror memorandum by representatives of various religious trends of Northern Caucasus was announced.

According to the basic provisions of the memorandum, its authors are against awarding guilt on the basis of nationality; they resolutely condemn those who instigate ethnic conflicts. They stand against violent acts and urge to settle all conflicts only through negotiations by using "all the means of popular diplomacy." Separately, the memorandum spells out support of peacemaking initiatives. Much attention is given to work with young people, students and cultivation of tolerance.

According to Mr Shevchenko, "Northern Caucasus has nothing to oppose to the ideas offered to the youth by terror ideologists."

Professor Elena Lukianova, a lawyer from the division of the constitutional and municipal law at the Law Department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, said that "so far, NCOs (non-commercial organizations) make the only opposition to those who are running around the mountains with their submachine guns."

During the meeting in the Public Chamber, Oksana Barkalova, Eleonora Ivanova and Tatiana Bazlova, employees of the "Focus Media" Foundation, told about their work in the region.

Within 14 years of the Fundation's work in Northern Caucasus, 80 projects were completed; over 20 programmes were developed by the participants in the course of educative training courses on leadership, resource mobilization and fundraising aimed at development of local communities.

The highly-qualified legal aid is a need of many regions, especially where the population is semiliterate. Rasiyat Yasieva, head of the Dagestan-based Fund "SOS - Salvation" and a lawyer with rich experience, helps not only her fellow-countrymen but many refugees, who had more than doubled the population of the Dagestan city of Khasavyurt after the first Chechen war."

Inna Airapetyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her organization "Sintem" ("Calming the Soul" in translation) is not only rendering psychological help to Chechen women, but also involves them in social work, teaches to sewing and basics of garden design. Since recently, together with Satsita Haidukaeva, head the "Lara" Women's Centre, the "Sintem" is rendering psychological services to women released from custody.