http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EXI/is_2000_Fall-Winter/ai_73063468Russia's Mothers—Voices Of Change - Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia"If they can't help me, no one can." A mother waiting for assistance from the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia.
Soldiers' Mothers and the Rule of Law
One of the most significant voices for military reform emerged as a result of these events. Formed in 1989 as an anti-war organization protesting the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia (CSMR) is often labeled a peace or humanitarian organization. With chapters throughout Russia, this organization has worked to halt hazing, end illegal conscription, and reform the military. This article will discuss the efforts of this organization along with those of the independent Organization of Soldiers' Mothers of St. Petersburg (SMO).(5) It will discuss goals of the organizations, the tactics used to achieve these goals, and finally, the effects these organizations have had on military reform and on Russian society's perceptions of the military.
First, these organizations seek the reform of the military and the creation of an armed forces which is appropriate for a democratic society. They want the military to be subject to the rule of law and answerable to Russian society. They argue that members of the armed forces should, in contrast to the Soviet period, have legal rights. All of these concepts are quite different from the mind-set and practices of the Soviet period when there existed a "militarized society" in which society was subservient to the military.(6)
One of the first steps in establishing the rule of law is calling for recognition by government and military leaders of the fact that dedovshchina occurs. Following this acknowledgement the Soldiers' Mothers seek to end such acts within the military. To do so requires the cooperation of military officials, the truthful reporting of the incidents, and the extension of personal rights to those serving in the military. As a part of the effort to make the military accountable to society, the Soldiers' Mothers have pressured government and military leaders to fully investigate incidents involving the beating and death of young conscripts and to provide full information about the military's actions in investigating and resolving such incidents.(7) As noted by the SMO, "the army has to stop being a closed institution, if the necessary changes are ever to take place. In times of peace as in times of war, society has a just claim to information on expenses, on military doctrine and every single casualty or injury of the soldier." According to this group, there is one simple reason for this requirement of openness: the people finance the army with their taxes.(8)
The Soldiers' Mothers extend the concept of accountability to times of war, as illustrated by their activities during the Afghanistan war and the wars in Chechnya. These organizations have pressed the military and the government to honestly report casualty figures mad information about combat conditions. In order to place direct pressure on the government and military, the Soldiers' Mothers actively collect this type of information independently, thereby providing a cross-check on any official statements. The information collected by the Soldiers' Mothers is available to citizens and is frequently used by journalists seeking a picture of the military situation which is independent of the official government line.
http://www.csmonitor.com/atcsmonitor/specials/women/world/world022400.htmlRussia's powerhouses of dissent: mothers The Soldiers' Mothers Committee takes on the military in ways others can't
Judith Matloff
Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
MOSCOW | published 02.24.00
For five months, five days a week, Yelena Makarova telephoned the Ministry of Defense hotline seeking news of her nephew Andrei. She suspected the boy was missing in action in Chechnya. Each time, the reply was polite, but noncommittal. "We don't have any information," she was told.
Finally, Mrs. Makarova followed the path of thousands of Russian women before her. She contacted the Soldiers' Mothers Committee, a national group that boldly challenges, scolds, and cajoles Russia's male-dominated military bureaucracy into helping families find information about sons or relatives.
True to form, within a few hours, a committee member had located the youth. He was alive. And yes, he was in Chechnya.
With Russia well into its second campaign in the breakaway Muslim republic, the decade-old committee has risen to new prominence here. At a time when limits on free speech appear to be growing, the group is now a crucial source of information on casualties and conditions in Chechnya. It's emerging as a powerful nongovernmental organization, with 300 offices and an aura of impunity that only the sanctity of motherhood could provide.
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