Ministry Criticizes 'Odious' U.S. Report

 



  The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that it was "surprised, to 
put it mildly" by the U.S. State Department's criticism of 
Russia's human rights record and objected in particular to the 
"odious" section on Chechnya.

  "One gets the impression that its writers simply used old 
drafts, as if nothing had happened in either Russia or the 
United States in recent years, as if the events of Sept. 11, 
2001 had not occurred and the international community had not 
closed ranks in the battle against terrorism," the ministry said 
in a statement.

  The State Department's annual human rights report, which was 
published Monday, said Russia had a poor record regarding the 
independence and freedom of the media and in Chechnya. Russian 
security forces in Chechnya have "demonstrated little respect 
for basic human rights and there were credible reports of 
serious violations, including numerous reports of extrajudicial 
killings by both the government and Chechen fighters," the 
report said.

  Russian officials from President Vladimir Putin on down have 
portrayed the conflict in Chechnya as a war against 
international terrorists. U.S. officials have partially endorsed 
that view, pointing to rebel leaders such as Shamil Basayev and 
the Jordanian-born Omar Ibn al Khattab, who are believed to have 
financial and other ties to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist 
network.

  However, U.S. officials also note that some of the rebels do not 
have international ties, and they have criticized Russian 
military and police abuse of civilians -- although the criticism 
was toned down greatly after Russia became an enthusiastic 
member of the anti-terrorist coalition, sharing intelligence 
information, opening its airspace to humanitarian flights and 
giving a green light to U.S. military deployment in Central 
Asia.

  The Foreign Ministry said that the State Department 
pronouncement on Chechnya reflected the efforts of "certain 
circles" in the United States that object to the new 
U.S.-Russian partnership against international terrorism.

  "These circles have persistently tried to reanimate the 'Chechen 
problem,' and turn it again into an irritant in the 
Russian-American dialogue," the ministry said.

  The ministry also suggested that before judging others' rights 
records, the United States should investigate the situation at 
home, including the government's failure to ratify some 
international human rights agreements and the use of the death 
penalty. Russia introduced a moratorium on capital punishment, a 
prerequisite for joining the Council of Europe, in 1996.