In the interview given to our correspondent on Thursday, the Russian human rights
activists commented on the latest statement made by head of the Russian
Internal Ministry Boris Grizlov, according to which the number of the Chechen
refugees in neighboring Ingushetia has reduced to 66,000. Besides that Grizlov
noted that according to the official data "about 5,5 thousand Chechen refugees
returned to Chechnya voluntarily for the last year". Having heard the confession
of the Russian Internal Minister, the human rights activists quite naturally raise
a question: If the number of the refugees reduced by half, i.e. up to 66 thousand,
where are the rest 60 thousand refugees, who have not returned home? Judging by
the data of Grizlov, it turns out that they were not there at all… On Thursday,
speaking at the enlarged session of the board of his department, Grizlov made
a sensational discovery, and namely, "in ccordance with the results of the carried
out work concerning the lists of the displaced persons, 80 thousand people were
exclude from the list, as they had been included illegally". "This, - continued
Grizlov, - allows us to cut down the expenses of the State budget up to one milliard
roubles". A mute scene… The human rights activists are in shock. It is not
enough, said they, that the federals had not included into their "statistics"
majority of the refugees living in so-called "private sector" in Ingushetia. It
is not enough that they excluded thousands of the really existing Chechen families
from the lists, now they want to "bury" these people, as if they are neither in
Ingushetia, not in Chechnya. "It is a good thing they do not tell lies with regard
to "mass" returning to Chechnya. Although the number 5,500 is not indisputable,
it is doubtful whether it could be greatly exaggerated. Grizlov's report, however,
does allows Moscow not to render assistance to about half of the Chechen
refugees in Ingushetia, and it means keeping on with the policy of economic influence
forcing the refugees to leave Ingushetia.
T. Nemirovich, SIA Chechenpress, February 7, 2003
In the interview given to our correspondent on Thursday, the Russian human rights
activists commented on the latest statement made by head of the Russian
Internal Ministry Boris Grizlov, according to which the number of the Chechen
refugees in neighboring Ingushetia has reduced to 66,000. Besides that Grizlov
noted that according to the official data"about 5,5 thousand Chechen refugees
returned to Chechnya voluntarily for the last year". Having heard the confession
of the Russian Internal Minister, the human rights activists quite naturally raise
a question: If the number of the refugees reduced by half, i.e. up to 66 thousand,
where are the rest 60 thousand refugees, who have not returned home? Judging by
the data of Grizlov, it turns out that they were not there at all… On Thursday,
speaking at the enlarged session of the board of his department, Grizlov made
a sensational discovery, and namely, "inaccordance with the results of the carried
out work concerning the lists of the displaced persons, 80 thousand people
were exclude from the list, as they had been included illegally". "This,
- continued Grizlov, - allows us to cut down the expenses of the State budget
up to one milliard roubles". A mute scene… The human rights activists are
in shock. It is not enough, said they, that the federals had not included
into their "statistics" majority of the refugees living in so-called "private
sector" in Ingushetia. It is not enough that they excluded thousands of the really
existing Chechen families from the lists, now they want to "bury" these people,
as if they are neither in Ingushetia, not in Chechnya. "It is a good thing they
do not tell lies with regard to "mass" returning to Chechnya. Although the number
5,500 is not indisputable, it is doubtful whether it could be greatly exaggerated.
Grizlov's report, however, does allows Moscow not to render assistance to
about half of the Chechen refugees in Ingushetia, and it means keeping on with
the policy of economic influence forcing the refugees to leave Ingushetia.
T. Nemirovich, SIA Chechenpress, February 7, 2003
Johnson's Russia List
#7051
7 February 2003
davidjohnson@erols.com
A CDI Project
www.cdi.org