Russian-Chechen War Through Eyes of American Photographer on TRT-Turk
Stanley Greene, an American war photographer, will describe to war crimes and genocides of Russian forces in Chechnya during 1994-1996 and ongoing Second Russian-Chechen War since 1999, at “And Time Stopped”, a programme of TRT-Turk television channel.
TRT-Turk tv channel will publish to “And Time Stopped” on 6 November 2009 at 22.50 and 7 November 2009 at 04.50 (in Turkey time).
Stanley Greene heard that a war will break out in Chechnya and went to the region, while he was working in Nagorno-Karabakh. According to Greene, 30 thousand ethnic Russian civilians who live in Chechnya, was killed by Russians in the first years of the war. In 1995, Russia bombed Parliament building of Chechen Republic Ichkeria. According to Russian official datas 34 people died there, but Stanley Greene was there, too. And he says around 1000 thousand Chechen civilian was killed there, and most of them were trying to buy food or fresh news about the situation. Greene says they feel as a victim themselves under Russian occupation, “You search somewhere for hiding, suddenly you realize that you are running with a Chechen man, woman, with a Chechen family. All of you just search a shelter! At that moment you aren’t a reporter anymore, you are a victim and somebody tries to kill you”. Some Chechen people surprised that they saw he goes to the war without a weapon; then he shows them his photograph machine, “This is my gun” said Greene, he tried to expose secret truths via photos. Stanley Greene thinks, Russia wants to keep under control the region until Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, so Russia provokes the situation in this region, they show their iron fist for solving the problem thus they belive that they may provide the invests. Greene says he was an eyewitness of inhuman events, “After you saw the murders of innocent people in front of your eyes; you can’t keep seperate your life on it”.
Stanley Greene lives in New York and works for Noor Photography Agent.
“And Time Stopped” programme is supporting by World Press Photo, an organization which gives one of the world’s most prestigious award on photos, and GPR Production prepares it.
TRT-Turk may watch online via website of TRT (Turkish Radio Television, a state television channel of Turkey).