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Russian Cancels Pardon Request in Chechen Case
A Russian Army colonel convicted of murdering a Chechen woman in 2000 has withdrawn his application for a pardon, the Russian news media reported Tuesday. There was no indication why Col. Yuri Budanov had withdrawn his appeal - he canceled a similar application in May - but the move lifts a political burden from President Vladimir V. Putin, who would have had to make the final decision in the controversial case. Colonel Budanov was convicted last year of kidnapping and strangling Elza Kungayeva, 18, who he said he suspected was a sniper, but only after a second trial on the charges. The first trial had ended in acquittal, and from the outset the case was subject to political manipulation and public and military pressure. Nationalists had demonstrated outside the courthouse in his support, while human rights activists demanded a harsh verdict against him.The decision by the pardons commission, coming on a wave of anti-Chechen sentiment after the deaths of hundreds of people in terrorist acts since the end of August, painted the Kremlin into a corner. If Mr. Putin had turned down the request for a pardon, he would have angered the military. If he had granted the pardon, he would have enraged liberals, although they have little public voice left in Russia. In a sign that the Kremlin was looking for a way out of the dilemma, state-controlled television channels gave prominent coverage on Tuesday to a demonstration in Grozny, the Chechen capital, primarily by students protesting against a possible pardon for Colonel Budanov. Even pro-Moscow Chechen politicians have argued against a pardon. Chechnya's new president, Alu Alkhanov, whose election is widely believed to have been manipulated by the Kremlin, praised the students for their opposition to a pardon, the Interfax news agency reported. Mr. Alkhanov noted that the same Chechens who signed a petition against Colonel Budanov's pardon were also demanding punishment for "the well-known terrorists Basayev and Maskhadov," Interfax reported. Posted by: Paul Moloney 2004-09-22 |
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