Hero of Russia Yevgeniy Zelenov: at OSCE session I realized that I was speaking to a wall of stone

A delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe being led by Lord Jadd arrived in Moscow. They are leaving for Chechnya to gather facts of observing human rights. Russian society takes such kind of visits as something ordinary. European parliamentarians visit Chechnya almost every month, but they still haven't understood what is going on there. Yevgeniy Zelenov, the deputy of the State Duma (Committee of Defense) and a member of State Duma constant delegation in PACE said, that Europe is not able to perceive the events which do not concern them directly: “Since the second war in Chechnya began in September 1999, I've been to Chechnya with the deputies of European Parliament five times. Each time we brought back a lot of documents. All the facts about life in Chechnya, including those which concerned the activity of the federal forces, were very grave. Straight after our first trip (autumn 1999), we were invited to OSCE and PACE with these documents”. “We carefully prepared for the speech, we were trying to hide our emotions, but the facts were so horrible that it was very difficult to read without shuddering. However, during our speech I realized that deputies were not listening to us”. “On our second visit to OSCE session we took a video cassette with us. Later this cassette become an evidence against Salaudin Temirbulatov, the bandit who is standing trial now.” “That tape contained the materials about the brutality of Chechen militants killing Russian soldiers. When we demonstrated this 20-minute record at the OSCE session, the audience was shocked.” “We know that a very harsh and negative resolution towards Russia was prepared. But after watching this film they changed their minds. I am not a supporter of demonstrating pictures of brutalities, but that was the only way to make them listen to us”. “In Bucharest in summer 2000, the next parliamentary assemble took place. By that time the whole world had seen this film, and therefore we haven’t taken any video evidence this us. But it turned out that the parliamentarians had a very short memory. To tell the truth, Europe is very selfish and doesn't understand the misfortune and grief of other countries. It seems to be very indifferent towards neighbors. Europe takes a parochial view of the events and does not understand what is going on in Chechnya in reality.” “At the same time not only Chechnya is concerned. Do you think, that Europe was outraged when hundreds of people were dying every day in Yugoslavia? 1 thousand peaceful inhabitants died.” “Now, when it turned out that NATO soldiers suffered because of using missiles depleted uranium, everybody begin to worry. What about the USA? American military authorities calmed down its population at once by saying that there were no American soldiers in poisoned territories and nothing threatens them.’ “I made sure that nothing can make Europeans and Americans compassionate unless the events concern them. The only way to their hearts is to show them some video materials and let them make a decision straight after that. They don’t have another kind of logic.” “All my attempts to make them hear me were vain. . During my last visit to OSCE assembly I said: "1 don't want to spend my time anymore here, because you cannot apprehend what I am speaking about. You are like a wall of stone.”