Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Wed, 21 Aug 1996 16:16:51 -0700 (PDT)
x-post from women-east-west
INTERNATIONAL NON-VIOLENT MARCH FOR PEACE IN CHECHNYA
Yasnaya Polyana - Moscow 1, 2 October 1996
Tolstoi-Yurt -Grozny (one week later)
Participants of the mothers' march for life and compassion, the first
major international non-violent action against the war in Chechnya (March
1995), appeal for a second international non-violent march to once again
draw world attention to the continuing suffering in Chechnya and call for
an end to the war. The majority of participants will be Russian mothers
whose sons have been killed in the war and Chechen women from the many
active groups calling for peace in Chechnya, joined by representatives of
international organizations for non-violence.
Despite pre-election promises by Russian president Boris Yeltsin to end
the 19 month old war in Chechnya, attacks throughout the republic have
been renewed and intensified since the elections. In mountainous areas,
many civilians and soldiers have been killed as a result of military
attacks. The upcoming autumn and winter will be particularly hard for
people in Chechnya as supplies have been exhausted, fields for producing
foodstuffs mined and the natural environment generally destroyed. Half of
the population in Chechnya have been displaced and left with no
perspectives and next to no moral or material support from the world
community. Doctors without Borders described the war in Chechnya in a
recent report as "the world's cruellest war". The world community remains
generally silent and unmoved in the face of this major human disaster.
The first part of the march will start from the home of Lev Tolstoi, the
20th centuries' most eminent apostle of Russian origin, and arrive in
Moscow in front of the building of the Russian presidential administration
on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Ghandi. The second stage of the
march will begin in Tolstoi-Yurt in the north of Chechnya to the Chechen
capital Grozny where it will be met and joined by people from the local
population in Chechnya for demonstrations, prayers and rituals calling for
peace in the republic.
Through the experience of the mother's march for life and compassion, we
are aware that the march may be obstructed by Russian forces. The marchers
will uphold non-violent principles in all cirmunstances throughout the
action. The moral and political support of the international community is
essential for the success of the march. Letters and calls to Russian
embassies and your own governments, vigils outside Russian embassies at
the time of the march and distribution and publication about the action
are needed. Similarly the physical presence of representatives of
international organizations and financial support to cover the significant
transport and organizational costs are essential.
If you would like to participate in the march or require further
information, please contact the Centre for Peacemaking (see address
below), including full name, address, date of birth and passport number if
a visa to enter Russia is required (before 10 September).
Any donations for this cause represent a great support. Please send
donations to War Resisters' International "Chechnya Peacewatch Project", 5
Caledonian Road, London N19DX telephone 171 2784040 fax 171 2780444.
Payment can be made direct to WRI Giro account no. 585204004.
The organizers of the march include the organizers of last year's march:
Maria Kirbassova of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, Chechen women's
organizations and NGOs, the buddhist order Nipponzan Myohodji and the
Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development in Moscow.
Contact addresses:
Centre for Peacemaking and Community Development,
121151 Moscow,
Ulitsa Raievskovo 3 Flat 145, RUSSIA
Telephone/fax +7095 2400862 or 2413487 or
telephone 5308198 (buddhist order Nipponzan Myohodji)
EMAIL: [email protected]
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| CivilSoc is a project of the Center for Civil |
| Society International ([email protected]) |
| in Seattle, in association with Friends & Partners. |
| For more information about civic initiatives in |
| the former USSR visit CCSI's web site at: |
| |
| http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/ccsihome.html |
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