All Speaking Out Case Studies > War crimes and politics of terror in Chechnya 1994-2004
The ‘War crimes and politics of terror in Chechnya 1994-2004’ case study describes the constraints, questions and dilemmas faced by MEDSF while speaking out during the two Russian-Chechen wars and the following years of the so-called ‘normalization’.
Questions and dilemmas:
- Was speaking out the right thing to do with regard to Russia, a power with a veto right at the UN Security Council and a tradition of propaganda control of the public arena?
- Was it realistic to rely on raising the awareness of other UN member states via their public’s opinion?
- In a context of terror, when dealing with a regime in denial of the reality of a conflict, was it useful and was it up to MEDSF to call for having this situation qualified as ‘war’?
- Should MEDSF take into account the possibility of a casual link between instances of its public speaking out and the security incidents involving its staff?
- When one of its staff members was taken hostage, should MEDSF speak out in the media to create visibility that affords him/her some protection, or conversely remain as discrete as possible so as to avoid a rise in his/her ‘market value?’
- Should MEDSF publicly point out responsibilities, negligence, or even complicity of the government on which soil the kidnapping had occurred, thereby taking active steps to secure the hostage’s release or should it refrain from such a discourse so as to avoid the opposite effect?
- Should MEDSF continue to publicly denounce the violence inflicted on people in the region, at the risk of radicalising those parties to the conflict who may be responsible for the kidnapping, and place the hostage’s life in danger?
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MEDSF Programmes in Chechyna 1994-2004
Speaking out podcast: War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya, 1994 – 2004
soundcloud.comThis podcast is adapted from the case study “War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya, 1994 – 2004”. Over 9 episodes, it explores the challenges and dilemmas MEDSF faced during the two wars in Chechnya between 1994 and 2004. These wars raised many questions for MEDSF on when and how the organisation should speak out publicly about the war crimes its staff witness and the chilling effects of the politics of terror on the Chechen people.
Through MEDSF press releases, internal reports, speeches, and news articles of the time as well as eyewitness testimonies from MEDSF staff, this podcast series examines the challenges MEDSF faced when access to those in need was repeatedly blocked by the Russian authorities, forcing international staff to operate and train Caucasus teams at a distance. Later on, when staff members were kidnapped, MEDSF was confronted with a new dilemma - whether to raise a voice or lay low until their colleagues were released?
