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Russia voices concerns over ex-Chechen militant’s book

22 January 2011 19:48 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Russian Foreign Ministry voiced concerns on Saturday over the presentation in the United States of a book of a former Chechen militant, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

Ilyas Akhmadov, 50, held a presentation of his book, Chechen Struggle: Independence Won And Lost, in Washington on Thursday under the auspices of the National Endowment for Democracy.

The former Chechen foreign minister in the separatist government of Chechnya under Aslan Maskhadov currently resides in the United States, where he was granted political asylum.

In the book, Akhmadov writes about "the mass slaughter of Chechens, the spread of the conflict throughout the region, and Russia’s slide into dictatorship," the National Endowment for Democracy said on its website.

In the statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry referred to Akhmadov as a "criminal, put on an international wanted list" who is trying to justify the separatist Chechen regime.

"We hope that the U.S. authorities will make certain conclusions and take measures to stop such dubious actions, which play into the hands of the allies of terrorists," the ministry said.