Waynakh Online

Top Menu

  • Archive Documents
  • Bookshelf
  • Chechen Culture
  • ECHR Cases
  • Gallery
  • Lyrics
  • Mp3
  • Poems
  • Videos

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Chechens
    • Who are the Chechens?
    • Tribal Unions and Clans
    • Religion
    • Famous Chechens
      • Chechen Academicians
      • Chechen Commanders
      • Chechen Litterateures
      • Chechen Musicians
      • Chechen Painters
      • Chechen Politicians
      • Chechen Presidents
      • Chechen Sports Men/Women
      • Names from Chechen History
  • Chechnya
    • Administrative Divisions
    • Maps
    • Geography
    • Constitution
    • Flag, Emblem and Anthem
    • Parliament
    • Presidents
    • Demographics
    • Economy
    • Human Rights Violations
    • Refugees
    • History
  • Chechen Language
    • Chechen Alphabet
    • Fairy Tales in Chechen Language (Mp3)
  • News
  • Articles
  • Interviews
  • Contact
  • Archive Documents
  • Bookshelf
  • Chechen Culture
  • ECHR Cases
  • Gallery
  • Lyrics
  • Mp3
  • Poems
  • Videos

logo

Waynakh Online

  • Home
  • Chechens
    • Who are the Chechens?
    • Tribal Unions and Clans
    • Religion
    • Famous Chechens
      • Chechen Academicians
      • Chechen Commanders
      • Chechen Litterateures
      • Chechen Musicians
      • Chechen Painters
      • Chechen Politicians
      • Chechen Presidents
      • Chechen Sports Men/Women
      • Names from Chechen History
  • Chechnya
    • Administrative Divisions
    • Maps
    • Geography
    • Constitution
    • Flag, Emblem and Anthem
    • Parliament
    • Presidents
    • Demographics
    • Economy
    • Human Rights Violations
    • Refugees
    • History
  • Chechen Language
    • Chechen Alphabet
    • Fairy Tales in Chechen Language (Mp3)
  • News
  • Articles
  • Interviews
  • Contact
Articles
Home›Articles›No one is Answering for the Murders in Chechnya!

No one is Answering for the Murders in Chechnya!

By admin
May 23, 2012
646
0
Share:

In 1995, during the ‘First Russian-Chechen War’, after an air force attack, I lost two of my daughters, one was seven years old and the other was 14 years old. This tragedy occurred in May 1995, in the village of Kharsenoi, in the Shatoi district, where we were living as refugees.

On May 12, 1995 our village was bombarded. The workers who were repairing the road leading to the village were targeted by the attack. Two young men were killed. Then we heard news that a corridor had been opened allowing refugees and anyone who wished to leave for Grozny. However, it was only possible to move at night, without headlights, as vehicles were exposed to gunfire, rocket strikes, and bombardment. Before this, airplanes shot at practically any vehicle, regardless of the fact that women, children, and old people could be inside. And it was those who were trying to flee the war zone.

On May 29, we, four families, gathered together and left Kharsenoi in two vehicles headed to Grozny. We had to drive very slowly and carefully because the road was destroyed, and at any moment a plane might come overhead and fire on us. On the road, one of the cars broke down, and by daybreak, we had only reached the first sector (part of the forest). We decided to wait a bit and then move on in one car. Sometime in the second half of the day, planes flew over and began to bomb the area. We survived by some miracle and returned to Kharsenoi.

That night we slept in the village. There we had a wooden dug-out which was built earlier, so that we could hide in case of aerial bombing or artillery bombardment. Usually, the women and children hid there during the day, as there was constant bombardment. In the evenings they went home. Around four o’clock in the afternoon, everyone went home as usual, and I went to the neighboring house of a relative – Sultan Isupov. We sat together in the courtyard, talking when a plane appeared. First there was a sharp roar, then he choked and the noise subsided. I said to him: “Sultan, it looks like they are coming back”, and then the first explosion happened. The bombardment of the village started. Eight planes circled above the village. Four dropped bombs and rockets, and the other four let out a barrage from above. When the first four had dropped all of their bombs, the other four then started bombing the village, as well. That is how they bombed and fired at the village without any respite.

Under the roof of Sultan’s courtyard there was a small potato cellar, I hid there. I started to call to the others, but they all ran to the dug-outs. So, on that day nine people died in that courtyard – I was the only survivor. In total, on that day 20 people died in the village of Kharsenoi: children, women and old people. There were five or six children dead.

There were no fighters in Kharsenoi, I am sure of that. It is true that the road from Shatoi to Bamut passed close to the village. The fighters did used to take that road.

The residents of the village were very frightened that the fighters might enter the village and then the Russians would fire on it and bomb it. For that reason we organized a watch and never allowed any fighters in. We barred the way into the village and warned them to avoid Kharsenoi, so that they did not put the lives of peaceful residents in danger. They agreed to this and none of them ever went into our village. Therefore, there was absolutely no reason to bomb Kharsenoi. At that time there were only local residents and refugees from other regions, mostly women, old people and children.

One of the planes shot a rocket at children who were running to the dug-out; I do not think the pilot could see who he was shooting at. Even still, that plane returned for another round after all the others had run out of bombs and flown off. The children fell to the ground and my son (he was the eldest) covered his sisters with his body. Nevertheless, my youngest daughter (she was only seven years old), was killed at the scene and the elder (14 years old), broke her leg. My son was also wounded by rocket shrapnel in his arm and leg.

When the bombing stopped, I managed to find a car, and we drove my wounded daughter to the hospital in the regional center of Shatoi. At that time French doctors worked there. One of the doctors looked at her and said that they needed to amputate her leg. I agreed, because the most important thing for me was to save her. But later on, she died. That is how I lost both of my daughters. It was the 29th of May, 1995. It has been 11 years since that day. And, as far as I know, no one has been punished for the murder of these women and children, as it was in the order of things.

Later on that night we buried 20 residents of Kharsenoi who died on that day, and we left the village, throwing out all of our personal belongings, livestock and everything. People walked through a large forest tract to Komsomolskoe and Urus-Martan. Since that day none of us could return to our native village to see what was there, what remained.

As far as I know, after we left Kharsenoi, 200 Russian armored vehicles with soldiers went in. They looted all the valuable things, slaughtered the cattle, and burned the houses down. Just as the NKVD (People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs) forces did in 1944, when they forcibly relocated the Chechen people. The houses in Kharsanoi were all built of wooden frames. They were completely burned. There is nothing left there now. The residents are still not allowed to go back. I know that in 2000, Kharsenoi was again bombed with aircraft depth bombs. The cemeteries were completely destroyed, and the remains of the bodies were strewn about.

Twice I organized trips there. I got to Shatoi, and there the commandant’s head office did not give me permission to go further. “In a view of the complicated situation it is unsafe, we cannot allow you to go there” – that was all they said. Now it seems that it has become safer, but they still do not allow us to return to Kharsenoi. For this reason I wrote to the parliament – I received a notification that the letter was received, but beyond that, no reaction. No one has answered. I went to Kadyrov, and wrote to the interregional court in Shatoi. So far, no results. I would like to go there, so that I could repair the grave of my youngest daughter who was buried there. And I still want to revive our village.

I know that everyone considers his or her pain bigger than the pain of others. But I know that many residents of Chechnya have experienced the same as I have. They have lost their children, their loved ones. So many people died during this time, and then in the ‘Second War’ as well.

In the same year – 1995, I was told about one case, in which a Russian fighter plane shot a group of women who were working in the fields. Just like that, it flew over and shot them all. Even though it was clearly visible that there were no fighters there.

And I remember another case, again in 1995. A Kamaz truck drove by, with women and children inside. It was full. They were refugees, moving towards Shatoi. A plane flew over and shot the truck. Every single person who was in that truck was killed. I cannot say exactly, how many women and children were there, but I think that there were several dozen people. And there were many such cases.

All of this is now forgotten. No one is paying attention to that anymore. And no one is answering for these murders.

Not long ago, I happened to be in Kharsenoi and wanted to visit the cemetery where my youngest daughter is buried. But I could not find the grave – the entire cemetery was so torn up by heavy bombing that no graves survived.

The first war took away my daughter, and the second war took away her grave.

Vakha Ibalayev
Resident of the former village Kharsenoi

*Text was translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco

Previous Article

Chechen Lullaby

Next Article

Swedish Migration Board Ignores Rape Cases from ...

Share:

Related articles More from author

  • Articles

    Islam in Chechnya Becomes Kremlin Propaganda Tool to Rebuild Image in Muslim World

    July 13, 2012
    By admin
  • Articles

    Nina’s Story

    June 2, 2009
    By admin
  • Articles

    Monitoring Human Rights in Chechnya

    September 26, 2011
    By admin
  • Articles

    An Accidental Career Helping in Chechnya

    April 25, 2010
    By admin
  • Articles

    Big Game

    November 25, 2010
    By admin
  • Articles

    Chechens Mark Ten Years of Exile

    January 2, 2010
    By admin

Leave a reply Cancel reply

  • News

    Extradition Case of A Chechen Again in Court in Poland

  • News

    “The Artist” Director Secretly Filming Chechnya Child Search Drama

  • News

    ECHR Fines Russia More Than 1.5 Million Euros

Our Website in Other Languages

                        

Latest Comments

  • Anter Johnson
    on
    December 10, 2020
    Does anyone have the lyrics in english by any chance, I want to translate this song ...

    Iordanex Oylanaš – Ali Dimaev

  • Noxchi9595
    on
    October 8, 2020
    Yes, it does. Look under Noxcmaxkaxoy number 23. There you have Yeg1ashbatoy

    Tribal Unions and Clans

  • Ali
    on
    October 8, 2020
    What is the name in english letters?

    Tribal Unions and Clans

  • Khaldoun Shishani
    on
    September 23, 2020
    Yes it does! I am a chechen was born and raised in jordan fifth generation chechen, ...

    Tribal Unions and Clans

  • Chechen
    on
    August 21, 2020
    And also my father told me that we are akkhi in tukhum and in taip chantiy ...

    Tribal Unions and Clans

Find us on Facebook

Categories

Archives

Search

https://youtu.be/LRtf8UENmp8
https://youtu.be/0yiOJCJWZjU
https://youtu.be/o5oU3dXxgSU
https://youtu.be/iDCpqn62bVQ
https://youtu.be/eBaatZVQpQw
https://youtu.be/Ukk7OkjTlOk
https://youtu.be/rBzKuDNnidM
https://youtu.be/4OON0mwLMfM
https://youtu.be/A7YLIm2YC-Y
https://youtu.be/oiymVOUdIxk

Our Partners

Chechenpress
Khaaman
Ichkeria Culture Center in Austria
Qaanuoyn Dosh
World Chechnya Day
Justice for Medet Önlü

Honorary Consulate of the ChRI in Turkey

We are at Instagram

Waynakh Online

Independent Chechen website that publishes news, articles, interviews, historical documents, literary works, photographs, music and videos.


                        

Last Publications

  • March 16, 2020

    Prime Minister Zakayev’s Book Presented in London

  • February 3, 2020

    European Parliament Hosts a Conference Dedicated to Chechnya

  • October 19, 2019

    Akhmed Zakayev’s Book Presented in the House of Commons

  • August 11, 2019

    Subjugate or Exterminate!

  • August 11, 2019

    Chechnya: The Inside Story

Most commented

  • Gallery

    Gallery of Abed Arslan

    By admin
    September 14, 2009
    10
  • Articles

    Gakayev, The Enemy Kadyrov Needs

    By admin
    August 31, 2012
    9
  • Articles

    Sex Slavery and Death Await Women Seized by Kadyrov’s Bandits

    By admin
    August 16, 2011
    8
  • Famous Chechens

    Shamil Salmanovich Basayev

    By admin
    May 18, 2008
    6
  • Home
  • Contact
2000-2020 © Waynakh Online | Powered by Chechen Media