Ask Amnesty

From James:

In your opinion, what is the difference between the Chechen fight for independence and the South wanting to leave the Union during the American Civil War?

Eliza Moussaeva and Bela Tsugaeva are two human rights defenders from Chechnya who have recently completed a tour in the US.

There are 4 basic differences and one similarity between the Chechen fight for Independence and the South wanting to leave Union during the American Civil war:

Differences:

1. First of all, the Chechen war is not a Civil war. It is the war of an army against civilians.
2. There is a territorial difference. The territory of Chechnya is some 16,000 square km, while the territory of the 23 US Southern States was much larger.
3. As far as we know, US Slave-holding Southern States wanted to perpetuate slavery and to expand it all over the country. As for Chechnya, there has never been a slave-owning system. Chechens are more like US Northerners in their fight, because they are against any kind of enslavement. It is common knowledge that Chechnya is the only Republic of Tsarist Russia which was forcibly joined to Russia, while another Republics voluntarily joined it. And after Yeltsin's famous words addressed to all Republics of the former Soviet Union during his pre-election campaign: "Take as much sovereignty as you want", Chechnya used the opportunity to declared sovereignty along with other republics: Bashkortostan, Kazakhstan, Ukrain, Moldova, Belarus etc. Chechnya is rich with oil, gas and mineral resources. Maybe this is the real reason and idea of this war. Instead of establishing civilized economic relations with Chechnya, it is more profitable for Russia to wage war.
4. As far as we understand, you are comparing in your question the North with Russia and the South with Chechnya. But they are hardly comparable. The US Northern Army consisted of 500,000 volunteers, while there are no volunteers in the Russian Army. It certifies the fact that the ordinary Russian people understand the injustice of this bloody war, which can hardly be called a war, with armed Army on one side and unarmed civilians on the other side.

Similarity:

• During the US Civil war 364,500 people were killed and 281,900 were wounded, it is more than in any other war in which USA participated. Chechen war also has taken thousands of lives and still keeps taking...