Johnson's Russia List
#5095
15 February 2001
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#6
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 18:24:46 -0500
From: Catherine Osgood <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Feb. 23 Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Chechnya
Greetings from The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya!
We are pleased to announce that ACPC, a nonpartisan, private organization
dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chechnya,
is organizing a candlelight vigil on Friday, February 23, from 5pm to 6pm
to raise concern about the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Chechnya and
to commemorate Deportation Day. On February 23, 1944, Stalin deported
nearly 500,000 Chechens to Siberia and Central Asia. One-third of the
deported population died in transit or while living in exile. With this in
mind, ACPC hopes to draw attention to the ongoing violence against the
Chechen population. The current war has produced over 300,000 refugees.
Chechen civilians are subjected to indiscriminate shootings, bombings,
mines, arbitrary arrests, summary executions, and torture. Although the
Kremlin continues to argue that the aim of this war is to root out Chechen
terrorists, it is clear that the entire Chechen population is under attack.
The Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Chechnya will be held in front of the
Russian Embassy in Washington, DC (2650 Wisconsin Avenue, NW), and will
feature several distinguished guest speakers including a representative
from Amnesty International. The vigil will coincide with similar
demonstrations being organized in Paris, Copenhagen, and Warsaw in an
international statement of concern about the crisis in Chechnya.
The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya needs your support to make
this a successful event. Please feel free to forward this announcement to
anyone you believe might be interested in attending the candlelight vigil
to support a peaceful resolution of the war in Chechnya.
ACPC will post an agenda, directions to the embassy, and more information
on the activities page of our website
http://www.peaceinchechnya.org/activities.htm at the end of this
week. For additional information about ACPC or the candlelight vigil,
please do not hesitate to contact me by email [log in to unmask]
or visit our website http://www.peaceinchechnya.org
For those of you who are in the Washington area, we hope to see you on
Friday, February 23!
Sincerely,
Catherine Osgood
Deputy Director
The American Committee for Peace in Chechnya
1319 18th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 296-5101 ext. 134
Fax: (202) 296-5078/296-5256
http://www.peaceinchechnya.org
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