Природа Байкала

AN APPEAL FROM «BAIKAL MOVEMENT» TO THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING IN THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT, AND ALL INTERESTED GOVERNMENTS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND CITIZENS

To Whom It

May Concern:

One of the principles of international environmental law establishes the environment as a common human concern. This principle is fixed in many conventions and employed in various sectors of international law.

For example, a statement by the State Duma of the Russian Federation in regards to the former Yugoslavia in connection with the use of depleted uranium by NATO member countries states that: «the Federal Assembly of the State Duma of the Russian Federation repeatedly voiced resolute protest in connection with the stated actions of NATO, which were fraught with environmental catastrophes in the center of Europe and, in essence, appearing as a violation of the standards of international law and crime against humanity».

In accordance with this statement and the findings of the International Law Commission, this principle is part of principle system of international law and shows that the international community should, on all levels, protect the environment. The violation of the given principle establishes an international crime.

Ecocide, in its current interpretation, does not constitute one single crime against the environment. In accordance with the decision of the International Law Commission in 1976 in the area of special responsibility for the violation of especially important international norms of an imperative nature, these crimes cover the large-scale contamination of the environment as a result of waste disposal into the atmosphere and bodies of water maintained by government controls.

The above mentioned crimes form a separate group, which should be highlighted in the Rome Statute. The timeliness of this step clearly points to the currently ongoing global change of our planet`s climate, unequivocally invoked by a man-made impact on the environment.

Current international law does not stipulate criminal responsibility of the State for violations of the principles of international environmental law. However, the environmental principle legal position and authority of the International Olympic Movement, on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, compelled even the government of the Russian Federation to comply today with his principle in regards to building Olympic facilities in the city of Sochi.

By stopping the activity of the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Plant in 2008 and taking upon international environmental liabilities, Russia ceased committing its 40 year international environmental crime of destroying 22% of the world clean fresh water reserve in Lake Baikal, a UNESCO world heritage site.

However, the decision of the Government of the Russian Federation on July 18, 2009 once again sanctioned starting up work at the plant as of September 15, 2009 on a closed-circuit water cycle, on which the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Plant is, as it is already known, is not actually able to function. By doing this, the Government of the Russian Federation made the decision to renew the criminal activity of the plant through the massive poisoning of the air and water in the entire southern basin of Lake Baikal.

As a result, the Baikal Movement calls all interested citizens of our planet, governments, organizations, and, foremost, the authorities of the International Olympic Committee, who respect the principles of international environmental law, to demand from the Government of the Russian Federation consistent compliance with its international environmental responsibilities and the execution of the laws of its own government in the name of the existing law on Baikal, by not allowing the renewal, already in progress, of the harmful work of the Baikalsk Paper an Pulp Plant.

In the case that the Government of the Russian Federation does not fulfill its international responsibilities, we call all states to boycott the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

The boycott should be in the name of future generations, future participants in the Olympic movement, the very life of which will turn out to be impossible without clean drinking water, clean sky and air, and the as yet unrealized Olympic potential of the city of Baikalsk.

26 December 2009