The Human Rights Network Group and its website Human Rights Online has initiated a public action for the Chechen Republic and a commemoration of the victims of the war there. The war, now in its tenth year, is still ongoing. (12-DEC-03)
Since the outbreak of the war on the 11th of December 1994, hundreds of thousands, both of Chechnian, Russian and Caucasian origin, have been forced to leave their homes and made refugees. Up to 25.000 soldiers and 70.000 civilians have been killed in ´mop-ups´ and terrorists attacks. Practically every Chechnian has suffered various kinds of humiliation or outright violence, be it from terrorists or federal forces.
40 human rights NGOs have put their names behind the online action organized by www.hro.org. On 11th of December, for 15 minutes only, starting from 6 p.m., they all replaced their respective websites´ front pages with the ´commemoration page´, designed by HRO. The co-ordinated internet action was the first of its kind in the Russian Federation.
