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http://www.izvestia.ru/world/article458116 (excerpted, my tr) Alvaro Gil-Robles - "Trips to Chechnya are always painful" 12:36 30.09.04 By Ilona Vinogradova - For the first time you visited Chechnya in 1999. You've been there since then many times. What has changed there? - The trips to Chechnya are always painful for me. This time, five years after my first arrival, I saw some changes. In the center of Grozny, the checkpoints have disappeared, and this means that although a little, it simplified movement around the city. Earlier indeed, at every checkpoint they were taking money from people. Evidently there a certain boom of economic life. Plus, they begun to pay out compensation for the destroyed dwelling. Earlier they demanded a bribe of 50% of the sum's compensation, now, as I was told, rates were reduced to 30%. City itself leaves, of course, a painful impression - ruins, in houses neither water nor toilets. Outings [progulki] around the city can be accomplished only with the military escort. There are as before as many unemployed. And there's this scandalous situation with disappearance of people in Chechnya. In last 3 years, as they said to me in the Attorney General's Office RF, 1,749 criminal cases, connected with disappearance of people have been opened. And only 50 cases have reached the courts. Complete impunity! Certainly, this subject was raised by me at the meeting with the Russian officials. I said that it's necessary to take responsibility itself and to answer to the families, where their relatives have disappeared. We've given to each other a half a year for solving these painful questions. In a half a year I will come to Chechnya again. Let us chek out how our agreements are carried out. But undoubtedly, there are also positive changes. The very fact of conducting this conference, about which you've mentioned, already says someting. Chechen students forced to leave North Ossetia CHECHNYA, September 30, Caucasus Times - Residents of North Ossetia who came to the republic from Chechnya to get education in local institutions have to quit and leave the republic. The tutors at Ossetia's University and colleges have warned their Chechen students they could not guarantee them to be safe after the tragic events in Beslan. For now, at least 30 students of Medical Academy in Vladikavkaz have come back to their home in Chechnya. They were offered to continue the education in other Russian provinces. "We've been told after the horrific events in Beslan nobody would guarantee our safety here. A classmate of mine, an Ossetian girl told me frankly, "Why are you leaving? We have sworn at the graves of our perished people we shall not allow you to live in peace! When the commemoration days are over we will show you!" a girl student from the Medical Academy was quoted as saying. Actually, I was at a loss for words. What do we have common with the terrorists and gangsters? Now I do not know what I'm going to do. I've had only a year to complete my education here," the girl said. The former students of Medical Academy and their parents met September 29 with the minister of Health of Chechnya. The students have expressed desire to prolong their study in other Russian high educational institutions but declined the proposal to continue education at the Medical faculty of the Chechen State University. The Ministry official said the situation could be solved with the aid of the Russian Ministry of Health so the Chechen students could enter the colleges elsewhere in Russia. Meanwhile, the former students of the North-Ossetia Medical Academy have to keep on vacationing. Ruslanbek Dudayev, Groznyy, Caucasus Times http://www.caucasustimes.com/article.asp?id=4191 Judges of southern Russia focus on legal guarantees for refugees STAVROPOL TERRITORY, September 29, Caucasus Times – The judges of the Southern Federal District have gathered at a conference being held in Stavropol to consider problems of legal protection of internally displaced persons. The seminar had been initiated and sponsored by the regional UN High Commissioner for refugees mission in the North Caucasus. As of now, there are at least 94 thousand internally displaced persons in the southern Russia, the figure that makes up almost the third of total number of refugees registered in the country. Only in Stavropol Territory the number of refugees has exceeded the population of two cities, according to information reported at the seminar. It was pointed out, that the regional ministries and offices obliged to enforce the legislation on refugees and monitor the situation were not always adequate handling the problems of internally displaced persons due to the shortage of money allocated for accommodation of refugees and the flaws in local legislation. Maria Valoshina, Stavropol, Caucasus Times http://www.caucasustimes.com/article.asp?id=4182 The UN High Commissioner for refugees office resumes its mission in Dagestan DAGESTAN, September 29, Caucasus Times - William Toll, the head of the UN HCR in the North Caucasus heading the UN delegation meeting today with deputy prime-minister of Dagestan's government Mr. Kaziyev in Makhachkala said the UN organization on refugees would resume its work in the region. The mission of the organization has been recalled from Dagestan since last year abduction of its employee Arian Erkel who was released a few months later. Mr. Toll has said the delegation will review the situation in the republic to prepare the report for High Commissioner and offer specific proposals. Rashid Kaplanov, Makhachkala, Caucasus Times eng.kavkaz.memo.ru Caucasian Knot 1/10/2004 Chechen NGO suspends its activity The Information Center of the Council of Chechen Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) has suspended its work since October 1, the Caucasian Knot correspondent was told in the Nazran office (Ingushetia) of this organization. Head of the Center Taisa Isayeva said the main problem because of which the organization had to suspend its work was the lack of any funds to continue its activity. The Information Center of the Council of NGOs was created in 2002 on the initiative of several Chechen journalists with the support of some Chechen NGOs, members of the Council. The main direction of the organization's activity is information work in the filed of human rights and freedoms, in particular, it collects and spreads information about developments in the Chechen Republic and violations of rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) temporarily living on the territory of Ingushetia. "Our center didn't engage in any political actions or propaganda of hostilities in Chechnya. The Information Center has managed to create certain conditions for the work of independent Chechen journalists, and we believe it to be our considerable achievement" Ms Isayeva said. "I hope we'll succeed in solving our problems nevertheless and our organization will resume its work in the near future. Many foreign and Russian human rights and non-governmental organizations used our information, you know." Source: Caucasian Knot 1.10.2004 Chechen ‘Siloviki’ Torture Detainees CHECHNYA, Grozny. (ORChD [Society of Russian-Chechen Friendship] Information Centre). Six days after their arrest, five people from the village of Starye Atagi outside Grozny continue to be held by Chechen law enforcement agencies and members of the Federal Forces. Eye-witnesses claim they are being tortured. On 23 September, Chechen ‘siloviki’ and Russian servicemen carried out a ‘zachistka’ [clean-up] operation in Starye Atagi. Seven men between the ages of 22 and 60 were arrested: Ali Maaev, Isa Bakaev, Ruslan Damaev, Khasan Abdukhadzhiev, Ramzan Astamirov, Rizvan Asimov and Vakha Kagirov. Two of the men were later released and have asked to remain anonymous. They claim that throughout their imprisonment, they were beaten severely by the ‘siloviki’, at times with nailed boards, until they confessed to crimes they had not committed. Translated by Sue-Ann Harding PRIMA News Agency [2004-09-30-Chech-06]