Why is the Russian government oppressing the Chechens?
Yelena Maglevannaya: Although the Russian leaders have repeatedly claimed that the military action in Chechnya is over, the Chechens in Russia are still treated as enemies. When they are imprisoned, they are often guarded by people who have fought against them as Federal troops during the war, and now work in prison camp administration. Naturally, the former hangmen now victimize the defenseless Chechens. Besides, I have heard many times from various officials of Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN), as well as from Chechen prisoners themselves, that the very top leaders of Russia have given orders to destroy the Chechen inmates in prisons. Thus, the IK-25 prison camp chief told Zubairaev that there was an order to destroy the Chechen youth in prisons, and then the nation would die out by itself. FP: What threat do Chechens pose to Russia? Yelena Maglevannaya: I do not believe that Chechens threaten Russia in any way. What kind of threat can they pose? They only want to be free, to live
