Misdistribution of humanitarian aid infuriated Chechens
By Keti Lomaia
As the GT found out some time ago the information that circled about the 8 countries
that were ready to shelter the Chechen refugees was untrue. According to the exclusive
information of the GT, only 2 Chechen families were able to arrive to the third
country, Norway, during all 3 years of presence of the Chechen refugees on the
Georgian soil.
Hard psychological and social situation made the 22 Chechen families resort to
the extreme type of protest. They staged a hunger protest action and demanded
to meet the UN representatives. Although, the UN representatives did not meet
with the Chechens, however, the Georgian Center of Psychological and Medical Rehabilitation
of the Victims of Torture played a role of a mediator between the refugees and
the UN. The Georgian Times talked to Ruslan Akayev, representative of the Chechnya
Diaspora in Georgia.
GT: Why were you not able to meet with the UN representatives without the mediators?
RA: Some spread gossips that Chechens cannot sit and discuss problems in a civilized
manner.
GT: Why?
RA: I will cite one example. As you know accounting the exact number of the refugees
is a big problem. Some time ago, the UN representatives which visited the gorge
decided to exactly count the number of the refugees of the gorge. He offered the
following method to the Pankisi inhabitants: people had to enter the buildings
they lived in and then the representatives of the UN mission would have visited
each family and account people exactly. This man also told the refugees that he
would have take a good look at their houses and would even check under the beds
not to miscount anybody. One of the Chechen ladies made a joke saying that were
she to know the guy was to check under her bed she would have hit him with a brick
onto his head. The UN mission representative thought it was a threat and called
up his boss. The foreigners think the Chechens are impulsive and they avoid talking
with us. We still live in the outrageous conditions. However, we are responsible
to make the future of our youth better.
GT: What do you mean under that?
RA: We do not possess a right to ask your country do more for us than it is already
doing. We are trying to make the third country agree to shelter us so that our
youth gets respective education and become productive part of the society.
GT: We interviewed representatives of the Chechen Diaspora, namely Khizri Aldamov
and Meka Khangoshvili. About 2 months ago the stated during their interviews that
there were 8 countries ready to shelter the Chechen refugees.
RA: This is not true. In reality we are facing a different situation. We talked
to the Ambassador of Canada in Turkey. The ambassador told us that his country
is ready to shelter certain number of refugees. However, the Canadian side is
not obliged under the law to provide us with respective documentation as well
as pay the travel expenses for us. This means that the Chechen refugees have to
travel on their own to Canada. Only after the refugee enters the Canadian territory
he will be assisted by the Canadian government. Now imagine the refugees that
are starving to death. How will they be able to get that much money to travel
to Canada?
GT: Then how are you going to enter the third country?
RA: As we found out there are countries that forward certain funds into the UN
budget for the latter to help a certain number of refugees to enter the donor
country.
GT: In case if the UN will help you with such funds, how the hosting families
will be chosen?
RA: So far we have 22 families that applied for entering the third country. I
can tell you for sure that the individuals who request for sheltering should not
be terrorists. I do not know other criteria that the hosting country implements.
Here I would like to add that this request caused scandal in the Kistin-Chechnya
elders council.
GT: What do you mean specifically?
RA: They call us traitors and explain this saying that Georgia is close to Chechnya,
and we should stay as close to our homeland as possible. I do not think so personally.
I think somebody is interested in keeping us here as long as they can. This provides
Russians with a good reason to bomb the Pankisi Gorge any time they want. Russia
will pressure Georgia anytime because Chechens live on its territory.
GT: It is a well known fact that big money is made where Chechen refugees are.
Especially that money is made on the humanitarian assistance. What is the situation
like in this respect in Pankisi?
RA: Those people who call us traitors live quite well off. They are not hungry.
Had the Georgian government satisfied us with basic needs, we would not have thought
of leaving Georgia. Two days ago a member of one Chechen family bit another Chechen
severely for misdistribution of humanitarian aid. I think one cannot choose people
through privileges taking into consideration the fact that they are living in
another country for 3 years and they are equally hungry and unhappy. One humanitarian
organization brought ice-cream for our youth. They threw the ice-cream to the
below standing youth from the balcony. As a result, children almost killed each
other. Such facts indicate that refugees are treated badly. If we will be able
to provide these 22 families with shelter in the third country, this will make
all the rest hopeful.
In the tomorrow issue of the GT we are going to offer you the facts proving how
the Chechens were tortured back in their homeland and in the refugee camps set
in Ingushetia.