Rule of ransom

The fear of gunfire in the war-ravaged region has now been replaced by a terror of kidnapping, which has become a flourishing business for Chechen gangs. Most of the hostages released in the past months, were freed after paying millions of dollars in ransom to kidnappers.

At the moment, Chechen gangs are holding about 70 people for ransom. Among the captives, there are foreign journalists, UN aid workersand businessmen. The abduction of vulnerable foreign journalists and international aid workers has been deplored by the Chechen leadership and foreign governments. The brutal murder of six Red Cross workers in December 1996, is still fresh in the minds of the people.

The recent spate of abductions by warring Chechen gangs has put the current Chechen leadership in a tight spot, as it tries to win international support for its bid for independence from Russia and attempts to promote foreign investment to restore the war-ravaged Chechnya. Chechen Prime Minister Shamil Basayev said: 8220;The kidnappings are doing great damage to our republic.8221;

Basayev, himself a famous and dreaded Chechen field commander during the Chechen war, was appointed Prime Minsiter by President Asian Maskhadov in January, specially to fight the menace of kidnapping. Then he had promised to stamp out the business of hostage-taking in Chechnya within six months.Since his appointment, Basayev has taken a number of measures to combat themenace. He has opposed paying ransom money to kidnappers. Instead, he has announced to offer 100,000 for any information that leads to the release of hostages. He has also strengthened Chechnya8217;s special forces, in particular, the 150-member anti-terrorist centre.

But many members of the anti-terrorist centre are wanted by Russian authorities for their own hostage-taking activities during the Chechen war. Basayev had forced the Kremlin to the negotiating table by taking 1,000 people hostage in a hospital at Bodyonyovsk.

Although kidnapping has been practised in Caucasus for centuries, the war in Chechnya started the latest round of abductions. Chechen field commanders took hostage Russian solders and traded them for Chechen prisoners or weapons. In turn, Russian army took hostage of Chechens and used them as bargaining chips for their own prisoners or to extort money.

When the war ended, the kidnapping took a new turn, with the ransom amount skyrocketing. Russian and foreign journalists, who weregenerally well-treated by Chechens during the war, suddenly became targets of attacks.

Italian photographer Mauro Galligani was the first foreign journalist to be kidnapped by Chechens in February 1997. He was released after paying a ransom of 300,000 by Italian negotiators.

Kidnappers then began abducting Russian journalists, including those from Russian news agency Itar-Tass, Radio Rossiya and independent television NTV. These kidnapping appeared politically motivated, because they took place just before the Kremlin and Chechen leaders were to sign various peace agreements. NTV8217;s famous reporter Yelena Masyuk was kidnapped two days before President Boris Yeltsin and Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov were to sign a permanent peace agreement.

Officials from Russia8217;s Interior Ministry and Prosecutor8217;s Office have accused chechen criminals of kidnapping. Some may be working with political motives, they say, but most are driven purely by money. The president of NTVI Gor Malashenko, who paid more than 1million in ransom, to free his crew, accused Chechen vice-president Vakha Arasnov, of being behind the abductions of his journalists.

According to the head of the Chechen anti-crime unit Khunkar Pash Israpilov, there are hundreds of young former Chechen fighters, who are engaged in kidnapping and guarding of hostages. 8220;It8217;s an easy and profitable job for them. They are people who have tasted power and money,8221; he says.

The abductions are marked for their professionalism as in a majority of cases, foreign and Russian hostages have not been physically harmed. No foreign hostage has been killed although they are moved from place to place. NTV8217;s Masyuk said on her release from kidnappers8217; captivity that she never felt in danger of being raped.

Both the Kremlin and Chechen leadership, have accused each other of involvement in the kidnapping to derail the fragile peace process in Chechnya. Even Basayev has accused the Interest Party in Moscow, of undermining Chechen government8217;s efforts to combat thekidnappers.

Recently Chechen authorities complained that many foreign governments don8217;t cooperate with them in securing the release of their nationals. Basayev has asked for technical assistance from foreign governments. 8220;We are not asking them to recognise us but if they have their nationals held hostages in Chechnya, they should cooperate with us,8221; Basayev said.