Russian Federation: Amnesty International strongly condemns suicide bombing in Chechnya
As the bereaved families mourn the victims of the suicide bomb attack in the capital of the Chechen republic Grozny,
Amnesty International strongly condemns this deliberate targeting of civilians.
"There can be no justification for the deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians. This act is a violation of the basic
requirements of international humanitarian law, in particular those protecting civilians. We unequivocally condemn all
such attacks. The perpetrators must be brought to justice but the attack should not be exploited to justify targeting of
Chechens in Moscow and elsewhere in the Russian Federation," Amnesty International stressed today.
Background
According to press reports at least 46 people were killed and many were wounded when two vehicles packed with explosives
smashed into the main building of the Moscow-backed Chechen administration in Grozny on 27 December 2002. Chechen
fighters claimed responsibility on their website for the attack.