SECESSION

Secession is the act of withdrawing from a political unity. It is felt that limited rights may be given to secession under certain circumstances, mostly relating to oppression of ethnic or racial groups and especially those who were previously conquered by other people.

Secession is justified only if secessionists can create a viable state on contiguous territory. Many feel that secession should be considered only to rectify grave injustice.

Indian Constitution does not allow Indian states to secede from the union. Secession movement in Nagaland and Sikkim have been suppressed by military and separation sentiments still run through those states.

Secession movements were also active in Mizoram, Punjab as Khalistan, Tripura and Tamilnadu. These have died down due to military action and political agreements like the Mizo Accord and the Assam Accord.

In the international arena, in Soviet Union after the free election Lithuania declared independence, others followed, and the Soviet Union collapsed.

The Soviet Union (USSR) was a constitutionally socialist state that existed from 1922-1991. Initially it was established as a union of Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1956 it had fifteen union republics. The government and the political organization of the country was defined by the Bolsheviks and later the communist party.

After 1991, Latvia and Estonia declared independence, following Lithuania which had already declared independence. Some others were loosely organized under the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In 1991, Chechnya had a strong desire to emulate the independence of its neighbors. After continuous altercations and many clashes nothing was achieved in 1944 Stalin deported the entire Chechen population to Central Asia. Overnight 500,000 were deported forcibly and even all reference to Chechnya was removed from maps, records and encyclopedias. In 2004, after Stalin’s death, 60 years later this was recognized as genocide. With the death of Stalin the deportees were repatriated and a republic was established in 1957. Chechnya’s drive for independence continued.

Boris Yeltsin, the president of Russia, never accepted Chechnya as a separate republic. He sent troops to Chechnya but had to withdraw. The resulting anarchy in Chechnya strengthened the Russian belief that region should not become independent. Oil is a significant factor in this region. A major pipe line carries oil and Russia’s interest is to ensure that their oil needs are also met by this source. As long as Chechnya is a part of Russia, Moscow will have a say in the oil flowing through it.

In 1994, tensions between the two escalated. Russia invaded Chechnya and a bloody war ensued. This ended in a humiliating disaster and Russia withdrew in 1996. The ensuing Soviet – Afghan was attracted Islamic militants as well as resistance fighters to Chechnya. Russian president Putin waged a full-fledged war with Chechnya and indulged in massive bombing raids. One third of the population fled from Chechnya.

There was international uproar. Human rights raised concern at the rampage. Russian troops were accused of looting, burning houses and buildings and even executing those who opposed. European Union threatened to isolate Moscow if this continued. In 2000, Chechnya offered ceasefire, but the Russian demands were stern. UN special reporters were appointed to check human rights and humanitarian violations, but Russia refused and covered up all evidence.

In 2003 Chechnya referendum stipulated the republic as a part of Russia. Political debate has been severely constricted. There have been many terrorist attacks that shook Russia since then. The worst episode is the hostage taking of hundreds of children where hundreds of women and children died.

Human Rights activists were killed or imprisoned, and many cases were filed against them. As late as February 2010 the Chechnya President dropped various libel suit against activists and journalists who accused him of murder. However, the situation continued.