Center for Civil Society International recently received the following statement from the International Peace Bureau in Geneva, Switzerland.

The International Peace Bureau has announced that it has nominated the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers of Russia (CSMR) for the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize. This group have been consistent, imaginative and courageous in their opposition to the slaughter in the brutal war in Chechnya At the same time the IPB called on peace organizations and people of goodwill to raise their voices still louder in protest at the Russian policy of mass killing and barbaric destruction of Chechen communities.

IPB is encouraged by the tremendous public support for the CSMR, notably in Germany, where 50,000 signatures in favor of the nomination have been collected, including those of Helmut Schmidt, Oskar Lafontaine and Rita Sussmuth, Speaker of the Bundestag. In September 1995 the Mothers’ Committee received the Sean MacBride Peace Prize, given annually by the IPB in honour of its late president.

The Soldiers’ Mothers, who now have committees in 14 former Soviet republics, have not only collected statements from mothers opposed to the war, organized meetings and demonstrations, and lobbied the government. They have also undertaken bold, direct action. Hundreds of mothers have travelled to Grozny to demand the return of their sons. They have buried soldiers, shared their sorrow with Chechen mothers, and negotiated the release of military men held by Chechen forces. They support neither the military actions of Yeltsin, nor those of Dudayev.

IPB President Maj-Britt Theorin says:

The CSMR are the most outstanding— but far from the only—example of active citizen peacemaking in the world today. These women have dared to challenge the militarism of a male-dominated society; they are civilians who are determined to have a say in—or to defy—the decisions of the military bureaucracy; and they have risked their own lives in direct confrontations with a violent system. Their inspired example is already being followed in other conflict zones.

Wherever they went in Chechnya they were given emotional welcomes in war-devastated towns and villages, and bore witness to the horrific abuses of the war. The event received extensive media coverage. The Mothers have been evicted from their offices, thrown off trains, lied to and confronted by the Russian military; yet they have endured and organized themselves into a significant nongovernmental organization with a fully democratic structure.

The IPB believes that by honoring unique people who have taken risks for peace, we can help to persuade others that war doesn’t pay. The Nobel award of the Peace Prize would also strengthen the hand of those working for the survival of civilian democracy in Russia.

It is time that other nations condemned vigorously the war crimes committed in Chechnya, and we call on all our supporters to galvanize public opinion once again. We recognise that atrocities have been committed by both sides, and we condemn the Chechen hostage-taking. However, things are far from equal: the Russians have used overwhelming military might for over a year to slaughter tens of thousands of Chechens. IPB’s approach is to support the peace movements such as the Mothers, and to urge a solution to the conflict through dialogue and negotiation. Russia must accept that it needs outside help (e.g. via the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) to resolve this problem. We call for an immediate cease-fire, the opening of all-party talks (including NGOs), withdrawal of Russian troops, and the involvement of UN peacekeepers. An international relief and reconstruction fund should be set up at once.

The International Peace Bureau describes itself as “ the world’s oldest and most comprehensive peace network, comprising 19 internationals plus 140 national/local member organizations of all types in over 40 countries.” It was established in Bern in 1892 and was itself awarded the Peace Prize in 1910, thus earning the right to make nominations. Thirteen of its officers have been awarded the Peace Prize individually over the years. The current President of the Bureau is Dr. Maj-Britt Theorin, Member of the European Parliament and former Swedish Ambassador for Disarmament.

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The URL for this page is: http://solar.rtd.utk.edu/~ccsi/csew/96-01/sm-nobel.htm
Last updated: May 2 1996

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