Human Rights Monitoring Institute notes with alarm recent acts in Russia that have clearly shown terrorism has no borders and can affect any country.
On September 1, 2004, heavily-armed gunmen took hundreds of students and teachers hostage in a school in the North Ossetian city of Beslan. Many people were killed or injured in the siege. Hundreds of hostages are without access to food, water, or medical assistance. Just days earlier, a suicide bombing in a Moscow subway left dozens dead or injured. Last week, the simultaneous explosions of two Russian commercial airplanes killed nearly 100 people.
Some believe these acts are related to the Chechen war for independence. In principle, every nation has the right to self-determination and, from a human rights perspective, it is understandable that Chechnya would seek to determine its own fate and try to defend itself from human rights violations committed on its own territory. However, terrorist acts against innocent civilians cannot be justified by any means.
The Human Rights Monitoring Institute condemns the above-mentioned terrorist acts in Russia and considers them to be severe, criminal human rights violations. Those who have suffered human rights violations as a result of these acts should receive immediate attention and assistance, while perpetrators should be held accountable under international criminal law.
Kestutis Cilinskas
Chair of the Board
Henrikas Mickevicius
Executive Director
© 2012 Human Rights Monitoring Institute