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Massacre in Chechen town, censorship in Russia

By Chris Hunter, AEN News, 10 February 1996

[Peace Media Service] The Chechen town of Samashki, formerly with a population 65,000 people, has been completely destroyed by troops of the Russian United Forces, according to reports from inhabitants who managed to flee to neighboring Sernovodsk. They report that hundreds of women and children were killed by Russian troops. The attacks began the night of April 7-8. The town is near the Chechen border with Ingushetia.

The village was completely sealed off April 9. No one was allowed to leave and journalists and the International Committee of the Red Cross workers were denied access.

Refugees report having seen women, children and old people being run over by tanks and others shot. Many village inhabitants hid in the cellars of their houses. Russian soldiers, after destroying houses, reportedly bombed the cellars too, killing those inside.

Russian authorities say the attack was necessary because Chechen fighters were hiding in the town.

Reportedly, many Russian soldiers were also killed in the attack on Samashki.

When the Mothers' March for Life and Compassion passed through Samashki two weeks ago, around 50 Chechen fighters were based there to protect the village from attacks.

On March 26, inhabitants of the village gave a warm welcome to participants of the Mother's March. Local women greeted their guests with bread and salt. A meeting was organized in the village center where elders and a Chechen commander pledged support for the march.

The events in Samashki have not been reported widely in the Russian mass media. Only the official line on Chechnya is now being reported on all television channels, including Independent Television.

On April 7 Russian television reported that a group of Chechen elders from Samashki had been shot down by Chechen fighters loyal to General Dudayev. Observers from the Russian Presidential Human Rights Commission headed by Sergei Kovalyov saw the incident happen and said that in fact Russian Interior Ministry troops opened fire on the elders.

The elders from Samashki had walked to the Russian military check point to ask the Russian forces not to destroy their town. Russian troops shot the elders when they were walking back to the village, then blamed it on Chechen rebel fighters.

Very little objective information is now getting through to the Russian public, in contrast to the beginning of the war. Many people believe the official reports and therefore support the destruction of Samashki, believing that Chechen fighters who shot their own elders are now being punished. The Russian public is not aware of reports that hundreds, possibly thousands of peaceful inhabitants of the village have been killed. The Federal Government today reported 'a few civilian casualties' in Samashki. Reports in the Russian media in the last few days have claimed that the war in Chechnya is now completely over.

April 8 a weekly documentary 'Totally secret' on the Independent Television channel planned to show a 20-minute film about the Mother's March for Life and Compassion, taken from material filmed by the German TV company ARD. The presenter announced the report at the beginning of the program, as well as a report about former communist leader Leonid Brezhnev. After the Brezhnev report lasting 35 minutes the programme finished however, 25 minutes before schedule. This was clearly done as a result of orders from above banning the film on the march. A cartoon with puppets was shown in its place.

"And people still talk about democracy in Russia", said Ussman, a Chechen and assistant to a deputy of the Russia's Choice faction in the State Duma. "Who does?" I asked, surprised. "The Americans, and other foreigners", he replied.

Peace Media Service Kanisstraat 5 1811 GJ Alkmaar The Netherlands
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