Petition in support of a peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict in Chechnya

To:

H.E. Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
H.E. George Bush, President of the United States of America,
H.E. Jacques Chirac, President of France,
H.E. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada,
H.E. Junichirō Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan,
H.E. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany,
H.E. Romano Prodi, Prime Minister of Italy,
H.E. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation,

And all other responsible representatives of the governments of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America,


We, the undersigned, call on the governments of the G8 member states to address in an open and constructive manner the question of a peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict in Chechnya during the summit of the G8 in St. Petersburg, Russia on July 15, 2006July 17, 2006.

We are deeply concerned about the current situation in Chechnya, which is still the site of numerous and serious human rights abuses, abductions and cases of systematic torture.

We therefore call upon the government of the Russian Federation

--- to take action for an immediate end to all human rights abuses in Chechnya,

--- to restore the rule of law based on the respect of human rights,

--- to immediately end all support to groups and individuals who violate human rights in Chechnya,

--- and to allow and guarantee the free and unhindered work of regional and international humanitarian organisations and journalists on the Chechen ground.

We firmly believe that the government of the Russian Federation can only be fully respected by the international community, if it sincerely respects human rights in Chechnya.

Furthermore, we call on each of the G8 governments

--- to ensure that the question of a peaceful and sustainable solution to the conflict in Chechnya will be addressed during the G8 summit,

--- to adopt a clear and transparent stance with regards to the conflict in Chechnya,

--- to openly and persistently insist on the respect of human rights in Chechnya,

--- and to mobilize all necessary means for a comprehensive and lasting reconstruction process in Chechnya.

We believe that it is the responsibility of the worlds most powerful nations to ensure the protection of the human rights of the Chechen people, which have been ignored for too long.