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Putin's
Russia
February 21, 2000
Dear
Colleague,
I
am writing to invite you to a small luncheon discussion
on Thursday, February 24, with Sergei Kovalev, a member
of the Russian State Duma and Russia's leading human
rights campaigner, on the topic "Putin's Russia."
Kovalev,
a biologist and former political prisoner, is chair
of Memorial Society and heads the Russian Institute
for Human Rights in Moscow. As one of the few liberals
in parliament, he has drawn attention to the alarming
excessive use of force in Chechnya, and the increasing
dangers to freedom of the press and other human rights
under Acting President Putin. Kovalev has frequently
travelled to Chechnya and environs and has some valuable
insights. He also headed the Russian state delegation
to the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1994-1995, and
was the former ombudsman of Russia.
Human
rights and humanitarian NGOs have been looking for ways
to raise the tragedy of Chechnya at the UN, OSCE, and
other world fora and to increase international attention
to the ongoing punitive offensive and enormous misery
of internally-displaced persons. Recent credible allegations
indicate that the Russian government is accountable
for war crimes, including execution of Chechen civilians,
violations of medical neutrality, failure to protect
IPD convoys in flight, and turning a journalist non-combatant
over to fighters. More and more reports are emerging
about the appalling conditions of mistreatment and torture
in the "filtration" camps established in the
region to vet the Chechen population.
We hope you will join us for this rare opportunity to
discuss the situation in Russia from the inside perspective.
Kovalev's latest article can be seen in the The New
York Review of Books (Feb. 10); copies are available
from the League office upon request.
Thursday,
Feb. 24, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Law offices of Patterson, Belknap, Web & Tyler,
24th Fl. 24C
1133 Avenue of Americas @ 43rd Street, New York
RSVP: Collette, 212-684-1221, ext. 104
Sincerely,
Catherine
A. Fitzpatrick
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