Bush Meets Russian Faulted For Atrocities

"Russian troops under Shamanov rampaged through the village of Alkhan-Yurt in December 1999, killing 17 civilians, according to human rights investigations. The soldiers looted homes and shot those who got in the way, including a woman over 100 years old. Shamanov threatened to shoot villagers who pleaded with him to halt the "cleansing operation," investigators found. Rather than prosecute, the Kremlin gave Shamanov a medal - a medal he appeared to wear to the Oval Office." (WP)
Read more...

We are concerned about the lack of action from the United States of America in response to the crimes of the Russian Federation and its President Vladimir Putin resulting in this and other blatant abuses of human rights and freedoms. Since the objective of the foreign policy of the United States is to bring freedom to the rest of the world, we strongly feel it must not be overshadowed by any issues of a short-time business profit or cordial personal relations between politicians.

The truth of the matter can be summarized in one sentence: Russia is rapidly degenerating into Stalinism!

After the brilliant victory of the United States in the Cold War over Communism, Russia, under the leadership of President Boris Yeltsin set forth on building a democratic society in the early 1990's. Recognizing the effort, the democratic community of North America and Western Europe made a number of serious concessions to Russian Federation without waiting for the reforms to take effect. Yet with the presidency of Vladimir Putin, Yeltsin's successor, the main civil liberties in Russia - the freedom of speech, the freedom of peaceful gatherings, the freedom of elections - have been drastically curtailed as compared to what they were in 1999, when President Yeltsin had announced his resignation. The fact of the matter is that in the second half of the period since 1991-2006 Russia has been going backward to the standards of the USSR rather than making progress toward the values of the USA and the rest of the civilized world! The most recent examples of civil and human rights abuses in Russia include (but not limited to):

- Imprisonment and exile of the Russian media tycoon Vladimir Gussinsky for mocking president Putin in his puppet show "Kukly", imprisonment of the Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky for mere declaration of his intention to run for presidency,

- Mandatory presidential appointment of mayors and governors which circumvents the traditional electoral process and is contradictory to the original Constitution of Russian Federation, adopted at the referendum of 1993

- Imprisonment of an outspoken critic of the Chechen War Boris Stomakhin for writing "anti-patriotic articles",

- Assassination of a free press journalist and a fierce critic of the Chechen war Anna Politkovskaya, and finally...

- The murder of a former KGB/FSB agent who uncovered the truth about Moscow and Volgodonsk apartment blasts of 1999 (the blame was put on the Chechen Warlords), Colonel Alexander Litvinenko, a British Citizen at the moment, in London by means of radioactive polonium-210, reportedly delivered to the UK by diplomatic mail from Russia.

But perhaps the most outrageous case of human rights abuse in Russia is the rise of FSB (former KGB) and Kremlin controlled state, which has all the makings of the belated Communist Party regime, perhaps the most odious form of tyranny against its own people that had claimed estimated 60,000,000 victims since 1917 and was thought to have been gone for good with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Russia must be delivered a powerful, resolute message: it can count on cooperation with the Free World if, and only if it continues in deeds - not in empty words! - to move toward the ideals of the Free World whose part it assumes to be. Should the Russian leadership choose to degenerate back into its Soviet Past - the consequences will be disastrous not only for the Russian People, but for the whole Free World, since a renewed race of WMD production is inevitable!

The Russian Government - above all, the Russian President Vladimir Putin - must be presented an ultimatum: bring the situation of the Civil Liberties at the level of 1999 (which includes, but not limited to abrogation of the Laws, limiting freedom of elections, restoration of freedom of speech, immediate release for political prisoners, and arraignment for KGB/FSB criminals). Or else, Russia must lose all the advantages and privileges it had received in 1991, as a gesture of goodwill in exchange of a promise to become a part of the Democratic Community (which the Russian Government has clearly failed to abide). We are more than confident that without this powerful message from the recognized leader of the Free World, the fate of the Democracy in Russian Federation is sealed, which may be a disaster of all of us. We urge you to bring this issue before the United States House of Representatives before it is too late.

Sincerely,

Vladislav A. Litosh, Ph.D.
(another 11 signatures)