London / Agency Caucasus – Ahmad Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, who lives in exile in London, has expressed anger at the European Union (EU) for not being able to protect the Chechen refugees, which has become clearer after Umar Israilov, a Chechen refugee, was killed in Vienna.
Zakayev was scornful of the EU member countries both because they remained silent in their reaction against what Russia’s aggression has caused to happen in Chechnya and because they fell short of the expectations of the Chechen refugees that they would be safe in Europe.
"We released systematic warnings over and over again about the possible consequences of flirtations with the antidemocratic regime in Russia. These consequences now include the death of Zelimhan Yandarbiyev, former President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the wounding of his younger son, the poisoning of Aleksandr Litvinenko in central London, the murder of Islam Janibekov in Istanbul and lastly the shooting of Umar Israilov in Vienna, all of which came about shortly after a law proposal by the Russian Federation that allowed of intelligence operations outside Russia was adopted," Zakayev said.
"The government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is determined to say ‘no’ to anything that makes it easier for the international community to prioritize its own economic and strategic interests in the face of our citizens’ suffering in Chechnya. We believe that the Austrian administration, which granted political asylum to Umar Israilov and his family so that they could safely live in the country, will certainly do its best to bring the murderers of Israilov to the court of law."
Umar Israilov, a former bodyguard of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Russian-backed President of Chechnya, sought asylum in Austria after he resigned from his post. He filed a lawsuit against Russia in 2006. He accused Kadyrov of kidnapping, torture and murder. ÖZ/FT
