I thank the Ceann Comhairle for giving me the opportunity to raise this human rights abuse case. The case of Andrei Babitsky is a cause of grave concern. Nearly a month after he was first captured by Russian soldiers, his whereabouts are still shrouded in mystery. His story entails an abuse of human rights, the patent flouting of the Geneva Convention and an attack on the principle of a free press.
Andrei Babitsky is from Moscow and has reported on the ongoing war in Chechnya for Radio Free Europe. Russian military authorities, as is the way of major military powers the world over, have tried to severely restrict and censor reporting of the Chechen conflict. Controlling coverage of the war has become another weapon in the conflict. Andrei Babitsky did not adhere to the strict rules laid down by the Russian authorities. His reporting from Grozny as the city suffered constant artillery bombardment from the Russian forces was a severe source of embarrassment. His reports contradicted the official line on the war propagated by Moscow.
Some time after 16 January last, Andrei Babitsky was arrested by the Russian authorities under a law on the prevention of vagabondism and beggary. He was denied access to a lawyer and prevented from phoning his wife and family. The family's apartment in Moscow was also raided. On 3 February a chilling video showing Mr. Babitsky being handed over to a group of armed and masked men was released by the Russians. They claimed to have swapped Mr. Babitsky for a number of Russian soldiers captured by Chechen rebels. The veracity of this account is questioned by a number of informed observers.
If Mr. Babitsky was handed over to Chechen rebels, this is a flagrant breach of Article 3 and Protocol 2 of the Geneva Convention, 1949, an issue that the Human Rights Watch organisation has taken up with Acting President Putin. If the supposed hand-over was staged, the consequences for Mr. Babitsky and his family may be even more sinister. Whatever the truth of the matter, Mr. Babitsky's whereabouts still remain uncertain.
A number of news organisations and journalists have highlighted the case of Andrei Babitsky, most notably Séamus Martin in The Irish Times. It is a case which raises concerns about respect for human rights and press freedom in the Russian Federation. It also raises serious questions about the conduct of the war in Chechnya and the seemingly feeble response of the international community to this tragedy. The Government cannot shirk its responsibility to defend human rights. The case of Mr. Babitsky should be raised with the Russian Government at EU and bilateral level. The Government should also have the courage and commitment to demand an investigation into other serious allegations of human rights abuses in Chechnya. These investigations have been demanded by, among others, Amnesty International, the Glasnost Foundation and the European Commission.
At this critical time in the development of the Russian Federation, it is vital that the international community makes it abundantly clear that abuse of both human rights and binding international agreements will not be tolerated. Opposition must also be voiced to the ruthless militarism which has characterised Russia's policy towards the breakaway state of Chechnya. Grozny has been razed to the ground, tens of thousands of people have been displaced and thousands have died in the conflict. Russia is intent on securing the total military subjugation of the territory, an objective which has failed before. Ireland and the European Union must demand an end to this policy of barbarism and militarism. A negotiated settlement to the war is the only hope for the region and the carnage must stop. I look forward to the Minister's reply on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
