Above: A refugee child's drawing of the war in chechnya (posted by Andrea, Li ying, Alanna, Lauren and Olivia)The rights of a human being have been made clear through out many years in history. Wars have been fought, people have died and the lives of many have been altered just for the thought of being free. Free to think and speak what is on one’s mind, the right to life and liberty, and equality in the government. These are the human rights that every person has been entitled to and these are the rights the people of Chechnya have been denied.
In Chechnya, a small subject in the federation of Russia, a war for independence has been raging on for many years. Many events have caused brutal battles (such as the first and second Chechen wars) which have virtually striped the people of Chechnya of their rights. During the first Chechen war (1994 to 1996), over 46,500 people were killed and about 35,000 of those deaths were civilians. In the second war, even more of Chechnya’s people killed, with an estimate of more than 250,000 civilians dead.
Civilians were treated horribly during the fight for independence. An example of the terrible deeds that terrorists have committed is the movie theater hostage, in which 300 innocent people were murdered. This disturbing and awful behavior toward civilians does not stop at terrorists. In the first war, males, anywhere from age ten to sixty were sent to “Filtration Camps” where they were tortured, beat and treated with extreme cruelty.
The children of Chechnya are largely affected by the wars in their homeland. Boys as young as ten years of age were trapped within the dangerous war zone not allowed to flee from bombing and heavy fighting during the first war. In refugee camps, there is no food, water or electricity and the people suffer through extreme cold in their dark, damp basements. Bombs are constantly exploding on civilian homes and killing many of the helpless refugees. Most children have become orphans or have been gravely injured or killed by bombings. For most, their education has come to a halt, limiting their future and they know nothing but war and destruction.
The bloody battles, constant bombings and inhumane treatment in Chechnya have affected the civilians more than anything ever will. The rights and the lives of these poor civilians have been taken away in the battle for independence. Explosions, tears and death consume the lives of every person and the hope that the war will soon commence is weakened with every harsh, painful and dangerous day.
4 comments:
Isn't there 250,000 people in South Windsor? That's just like killing a whole town! What's wrong with these Russians? don't they see what they're doing is horrible? Or would they go and do the same thing to their families if they were told? It's just not right!
(Olivia P.)
I agree completely! These poor poor people of chechnya, they are treated so badly, their families are killed and yet they still try and hold on, praying that the war would just end!
This is amazing what is happening to these innocent people. Not only are their lives being taken away, but their hopes and dreams are being destroyed because a goverment doesn't like them. It's like the Holocaust, millions of people being murdered because some mad man thinks they're bad. It's horrible and something has to be done!
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