Episode 5: All on the same page
MSF’s operations in Chechnya are slowly starting back up again after 3 years of being run remotely. Although the bombing stops, general insecurity is pervasive and restarting these programmes is not without risks.
With an international team back on the ground in Chechnya, everyone agrees on the need to document the situation more thoroughly. A collection of patients’ accounts in the report “Chechnya: The politics of terror” is handed over at a press conference. The various MSF sections agree on a coordinated media strategy for getting news out of Chechnya and into the press, in particular the Russian media.
This podcast series is written, produced and mixed by Andrea Rangecroft. Interviews are recorded by Lucy Dearlove.
Editorial direction is from Nancy Barrett, Laurence Binet and Rebecca Golden Timsar.
The narrator is Nick Owen.
Extracts are read by Didi Bellos and Matthew Wade.
The voiceovers are by Lucy Dearlove and Mark Fairclough.
The music is by Lost Harmonies and Peter Sendberg.
Photo credits:© Eric Bouvet
A special thanks to Dr Alain Devaux.
This podcast is adapted from the case study “War Crimes and Politics of Terror in Chechnya, 1994 – 2004”. Over 9 episodes, it explores the challenges and dilemmas MSF faced during the two wars in Chechnya between 1994 and 2004. These wars raised many questions for MSF on when and how the organisation should speak out publicly about the war crimes its staff witness and the chilling effects of the politics of terror on the Chechen people.
Through MSF press releases, internal reports, speeches, and news articles of the time as well as eyewitness testimonies from MSF staff, this podcast series examines the challenges MSF faced when access to those in need was repeatedly blocked by the Russian authorities, forcing international staff to operate and train Caucasus teams at a distance. Later on, when staff members were kidnapped, MSF was confronted with a new dilemma - whether to raise a voice or lay low until their colleagues were released?
To read the full study and discover other case studies, please go to our website: msf.org/speakingout
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