«Novaya gazeta»

To the President of the Russian Federation

To the Chairman of the Russian Federal Government

To the Chairman of the Parliament of the Russian Federation

We appeal to the leaders of our government through the media, since we have no access to the President of the Russian Federation, or to the Chairman of the Russian Federal Government, nor to the Chairman of the Parliament of the Russian Federation.

Since March 1st, 2006, Federal Law #35, “On Countering Terrorism” has come into force.  In Article 19 of this law, it states that the Russian federal government determines social rehabilitation of victims.

In a resolution made by the Russian government on April 12th, 2007, however, it states that the law only covers cases that occur after January 1st, 2007.

We have been conducting correspondence since 1999, but no one, other than the highest level of government, can decide the adoption of the law protecting the rights of victims of acts of terror (of all acts of terror – in Moscow, Beslan, Buynaksk, Volgograd, Volgodonsk, Kaspiysk, Pyatigorsk, and many others) that happened before January 1st, 2007.

In November of 2006, we appealed to all echelons of the government with a request for the adoption of a law, to which received we received what has been in our experience the usual reply from the indicated departments, sending us from one department to another:

- from the administration of the President of the Russian Federation, to the Ministry of Finance, later to the Ministry of Health and Social Development,

- from the Chairman of the Russian Federal Government to the Ministry of Health and Social Development, later to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation,

- from the Chairman of the Parliament of the Russian Federation to the Government of the Russian Federation.

Etc, etc.

Here is the last answer from the Security Committee of the Parliament of the Russian Federation, dated March 7th, 2007:  “On studying the enclosed, the questions raised in your appeal were noted and will be studied in the next legislative session by the committee in the area of opposing the terrorist threat.”

Over the course of seven years, however, we have addressed the authorities with an appeal about the necessity of adopting a “law on social protection of the rights of victims of terror acts”, and not about the problems of opposing the terrorist threat.

From the organization of victims of the terror act in Volgodonsk, ‘Volga Don’ (chairman Irina Ivanovna Halai), the regional public organization ‘Nord-Ost’ (cochairman Tatiana Karpova), the ‘Voice of Beslan’ (chairman Emma Betrozova-Tagaeva), and others.

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Commentary from Novaya Gazeta:

According to data from the ‘Nord-Ost’ public organization, from 1995 to 2006 there have been 55 acts of terror in Russia in which 1,802 were killed, and more than 20 thousand citizens of Russia were injured.

Since 2002, the former hostages, and relatives of those who were killed at Dubrovka, have raised questions on the necessity for adopting a federal law that would confirm the status of ‘victim of an act of terror’ and stipulate measures of social protection for these citizens.  Joining later with the ‘Nord-Ost’ people in their demands were victims from the apartment blasts in Moscow and Volgodonsk, relatives of passengers of the Tu-134 blown up in the summer of 2004, and victims and relatives of the dead at Beslan.  Attorneys L. Aiver and I. Trunov prepared a project for the corresponding federal law, which was examined for a long time in the parliament, but did not pass even its first reading.

After the act of terror in Beslan, the president of Russia publicly declared that the government could not provide security for its citizens, but who says that the government is in no condition to at least provide some support for those who survive?  The budget for the ‘siloviki’ (the police, military, and intelligence services) has grown several times in recent years, as has the number of terror victims.  The Florov orphans (5 and 7 years old) lost their parents at ‘Nord-Ost’ and receive a monthly pension of 250 rubles (about $10).  FSB director Patrushev received another medal on his chest and a top-secret pay raise.  This is a surprising tendency: the more acts of terror and death, the more medals, money, and power our special services receive.

It is impossible to say that the efforts of the victims have not led to something.  The new federal law “On Countering Terrorism” stipulates social rehabilitation by the government, but only for victims of terror acts that occur after January 1st, 2007. 

So what can they do?  What can those who suffered at ‘Nord-Ost’, Beslan, Moscow, and Volgodonsk do?  They write open letters…