Dear Editor,






2/2/08

Is there a point when political disagreements and retaliation against terrorism cross the line into the mass murder of a race? The answer is yes, and such a genocidal situation is presently occurring in Chechnya, a small, mainly Islamic nation that’s been fiercely keen on independence from oppressive Russia for over a century. Often the Chechens’ desire for freedom becomes the unjust scapegoat-blame for any bombings or acts of terror that occur in Russia, and has led to sporadic wars and armed assaults throughout the 1990s. The conflict is now verging on extermination, the 7th stage of 8 that the UN defines genocide by. Russia no longer wants to incorporate Chechnya, but destroy it, and too long has the cry of the Chechens been ignored.

Christmas of 1994. Russian forces annihilated the Chechen capital of Grozny, triggering a two-year clash in which, according to journalist Kristina Sarkisyan, at least 100,000 Chechens were murdered, and numerous others arrested, raped, displaced and tortured. The attacks continue, and the death toll has increased to 250,000 since 1994. A Russian soldier quotes “I remember a Chechen female sniper. We just tore her apart with two armored personnel carriers, having tied her ankles with steel cables. There was a lot of blood…” That is just one example of many incomprehensible atrocities committed against Chechen civilians.

As Russia is likely the second-strongest nation in the world, it can be questioned why they choose to devote countless resources towards destruction, but it can also be argued that the United States is the first world superpower, and we are not utilizing our time and money in assistance. The turmoil in Chechnya is clearly genocide, and remaining inactive is not an option. Educate yourself further on this tragedy by visiting www.religioustolerance.org/geno_ch.htm and www.hrvc.net/articles/sarkisyan.html.