Most Wanted Chechen Surgeon Will Give Lectures in Japan

Chechen surgeon Khassan Baiev, who treated many Chechens and Russians in the conflict between Russia and Chechnya, is visiting Japan for the first time to give lectures across the country on the suffering of children in the hostilities.

Since the war started in 1994, Baiev, 43, has treated Russian soldiers and Chechen separatists amid an acute shortage of medicine, particularly antibiotics.

In 2000, he spent three days and nights treating about 300 armed Chechen guerrillas, who had stepped on mines, and performed 74 operations.

He also saved the Chechen separatist commander, Shamil Basaev, who lost his foot. Basaev died in an explosion in July this year. For his treatment of Basaev, the Russian government issued an arrest warrant on Baiev, forcing him to flee to the United States.

His book, “>”The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire,” has been translated into many languages and has affected many people.

At a press conference Thursday in Tokyo, Baiev said a Chechen Health Ministry official told him when he secretly visited the republic this year that one-third of all newborns were sick.

The incessant explosions and vibrations have affected fetuses, resulting in many babies suffering from disorders in their limbs or mental problems, he said.

Baiev will give a lecture Tuesday in Nagasaki, Thursday in Hiroshima, Saturday in Kyoto, Sunday in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, and on Nov. 28 in Tokyo.

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