23:31, 30 November 2006

13,000 Finns voiced against trampling human rights in Chechnya

A broad-scale action of direct expression of public will under the motto "Now its Finland's turn to affect!" was dated to the Russia-EU Summit held in Helsinki, capital of Finland, currently the chair country in the EU. The Finnish branch of the Amnesty International (AI) had organized collection of signatures under an appeal in defence of democratic freedoms in Russia, in which the continuing trampling of human rights in Chechnya was brought to the forefront. Elina Rakhimova, activist of the Moscow Antiwar Club, who is now in Helsinki, told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" about it.

Ms. Noora Yokinen, press secretary of the Finnish AI, told E. Rakhimova that the petition was handed over to Matti Vankhanen, Prime Minister of Finland, on November 20, on the eve of the Summit. It was signed by 12,200 citizens of Finland. Nine hundred persons more mailed their personal postcards with an appeal, which had been disseminated by the Amnesty International, to the head of the government.

Author: Vyacheslav Feraposhkin, CK correspondent