Above thousand refugees
from Chechnya have been left without humanitarian aid
Chechen refugees call for help!
On 21 January 2003, Chechen refugees temporarily living in the village Altievo
of Nazran district, Ingushetia, applied to the Nazran office of the Chechen Committee
of National Salvation. According to the refugees from Chechnya, above thousand
people temporarily living in the camp have been excluded by the officials of the
Migration Service from the list of displaced people, hence depriving them
of the possibility to get humanitarian aid. Several tens of families only living
in the camp of forcibly displaced people have been left in the list. When the
representatives of the excluded refugees living in Altievo headed by the commandant
of the camp arrived in Nazran and applied to the Migration Service office of the
Republic of Ingushetia, their request was left without response. Moreover, one
of the officials of the Migration Service expressed his discontent towards the
commandant of the camp, as the latter "has raised a panic and led the crowd
here". According to the refugees, this event is a result of illegal actions on
the part of the authorities directed at creation of intolerable living conditions
for the Chechen refugees on the territory of Ingushetia. The attempts of the Russian
authorities to force thousands of displaced persons leave Chechnya and return
home have been ineffective and now they are trying to attain their objective by
exerting indirect pressure on the unfortunate people.
Chechen Committee of National Salvation
Press Release # 255, January 22, 2003
Nazran, Republic of Ingushetia
www.savechechnya.org