Natalia Medvedeva, Russia

About Natalia, it is enough to say that she offered herself as a voluntary hostage in exchange for pregnant women during the terrorist seizure of the maternity hospital in the city of Budennovsk. Afterwards, she refused to receive an award for courage from the hands of Yeltsin, the murderer of Chechen people.

Natalia has taken photos of the victims of the Chechen war and crimes of the Russian military. She is an author of the photographs of hundreds of Chechens who were tortured and violently killed in the town of Sadikurt.

We hope that these photographs will be used as evidence in court, much like with the Nazis at Nuremburg, against political and military authorities of the Russian Federation.

Sergey Melnikoff, the USA

A former member of the Board of the Soviet Culture Fund. For free-thinking and demands to have Communist Party put on an international trial, he spent a long time in political camps of the USSR. By the end of the 80's Melnikoff illegally escaped from the Soviet Union and along with his family ran through Mongolia to China. United Nations granted him with the status of the political refugee. Founder and president of the IPV News USA. More about him on Melnikoff Galleries Network

The authors of International Exhibition devoted to Chechen War
are nominated for prestigious Pulitzer Prize, 2009

The representation of Chechen Republic Ichkeriya in France and Information Agency “Ichkeria.info”
nominated Dr. Sergey Melnikoff, famous human rights activist, American photographer and author of Internet-project “The Chronicles of Hell” and Natalia Medvedeva, Russian photojournalist and author of the International exhibition “Russia is indicted of Genocide!” for prestigious Pulitzer Prize.

The exhibition is devoted to Chechen War where Natalia spent seven years. Hundred feats of her films are the undeniable documentary witness of Russian genocide at Caucasus: a shell crater where the Finnish House was – former health center in mountainous region of Ho-Kizinoy, the refugees – women and children – were hiding there;
a man grasping child foot – the only fragment of his daughter’s body he found.

Later reports from front will announce about attack on rebel’s camp and a military man will be awarded for successful war operation. As for a few refugees survived they will stay there surrounded by the graves – wives, children, sisters lost in one moment. Their remains were reduced to ashes long time ago but memory about them is still alive at the photos made by Russian woman photographer. Who worked under the pounding of shells and bullets, at places men were afraid to go to, at places she could not come back from. But each time she was back – from the camp of rebels where she shot photos of warlord Shamil Bosaev, from forest where rebels wanted to shoot her confusing her with a Russian spy.

She was back from Budenovsk – town of Dagestan where Bosaev’s rebels took hostages in a local maternity hospital. Natalia Medvedeva proposed herself in exchange for hostages. In Budenovsk she was wounded in head. Films shot by the courageous woman-journalist there shocked the whole world. The former Russian president Boris Yeltsin wanted to reward her for courage but she refused to take award from the hands of Chechen children killer.

Many time laying on the grass when the land was trembling from bombing she promised herself to leave this Chechen hell for peaceful Russian capital where people still traveled by underground to the homes, offices, theaters and cinemas. They didn’t hear the sounds of bombs and bullets that were heard here in Chechnya – at the territory of Russian Federation. When the fire was over she got up, shacked the dust of her clothe and… went to the hell again. Her photos are full of death, pain and suffering but you need to see it and get to know the face of war, remember it and give your voice for democracy.

If you want to support Sergey Melnikoff and Natalia Medvedeva send your messages to the editorial of “The Chronicles of Hell” Project.