Saint Petersburg lights candles in memory of victims of tragedy in Chechen village of Novye Aldy

A commemoration party of the victims of the tragedy in the village of Novye Aldy, Chechen Republic, was held on February 5 in Saint Petersburg. The participants of the party sent a letter to President of Russia and the Russian Prosecutor General, demanding to investigate the crimes committed 15 years ago in the village.

According to eyewitnesses, in the morning on February 5, 2000, Novye Aldy was invaded by special militia units; and within a few hours 50 villagers fell victim to extrajudicial killings. The death toll included a one-year-old baby, nine women and 11 elderly villagers. In 2000, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" documented the death of 56 people-victims of the "cleansing".

On February 5, the participants of the commemoration event lit candles in memory of the victims at the Solovki Boulder in Trinity Square (the foundation boulder for the monument to victims of political repressions), having attached a list with the names of the casualties, Nikolai Rybakov, a member of the Saint Petersburg branch of the "Yabloko" Party, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Such actions are important in order "not to forget the tragic events in Aldy" and to force the investigating bodies to reopen the inquiry into these events, said Rybakov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.