THE NIS OBSERVED: AN ANALYTICAL
REVIEW
(Volume VIII, No. 11, 10 July 2003)
UNHCR Report on Chechnya
Western governments have chosen to pretend that Russia's sham political process
provides improvement for the security situation in and around Chechnya but international
bodies have documented the opposite. The UNHCR found that Chechen IDPs are
routinely denied freedom of movement, were welcomed only in Ingushetia, and are
now being evicted from there. The document urges that Chechen asylum-seekers should
not be returned to Russia. The key findings of the report "UNHCR
Paper on Asylum Seekers from the Russian Federation in the Context of the Situation
in Chechnya February 2003," which unfortunately has not received wide circulation,
are summarized below. The report found that: "Guerrilla activities have intensified
in the zones officially under the control of the Russian Federation forces. (Š)
Government military operations in civilian areas, where rebels are suspected to
be in hiding, regularly lead to new displacement of populations, both within Chechnya
as well as to IngushetiaŠ." (Paragraph 7, Article b)
"The situation in the TAC (Temporary Accommodation Centers in Chechnya)
remains precarious: sanitation is below acceptable standards with latrines located
outside buildings in insufficient numbers and non-accessible after curfew." (Paragraph
7, Article e)
"Security incidents in Ingushetia, in Dagestan, in North Ossetia-Alania (Vladikavkaz)
and in Karachai-Cherkessia (Cherkess) give rise to the fear that guerrilla activity
might expand to neighboring republics." (Paragraph 7, Article k)
"Several hundreds of returnees were unable to remain in Chechnya, primarily for
reasons of security and harassment, as well as for lack of shelter and infrastructure,
and returned to Ingushetia." (Paragraph 7, Article l)
"Access to humanitarian agencies and humanitarian agencies access to the population
inside Chechnya has been hampered by security constraints" and arbitrary administrative
measures. (Paragraph 7, Article n)
"Security for aid workers has deteriorated." (Paragraph 7, Article o)
The report found that ethnic Chechens were routinely denied the status of "forced
migrant," which would entitle them to assistance and restitution. In fact,
in Ingushetia only 89 persons have been granted forced migrant status. (Paragraph
r14) Only one person has been able to obtain restitution for the destruction
of property and that pertained to the 1994 1996 war. (Paragraph 18)
Chechens are routinely denied freedom of movement and harassed by the police.
The Soviet "propiska" system has been replaced by the so-called "registration"
which can be either permanent or temporary. In practice, permanent registration
is needed to obtain basic services legally, such as healthcare and education and
in practice this is denied to Chechen IDPs. Thus, Chechen IDPs can not move
outside Ingushetia, where their existence remains highly precarious. "While
officially adopting the position of voluntary return, the authorities have actively
pursued a policy of inducing IDPs to return to Chechnya. This policy has
been particularly pursued in the Republic of Ingushetia, where the majority
of the IDPs are located." ( Paragraph 25)
The UNHCR found that "Legislative mechanisms and related assistance that would
facilitate the settlement of IDPs beyond Chechnya and Ingushetia are not available."
(Paragraph 77)
"In other administrative districts of the Russian Federation, the combination
of local restrictive regulations on freedom of movement and freedom of choice
or place of sojourn/residence, anti-Chechen feelings among the public, and concerns
among local authorities to contain ethnic tensions and to prevent terrorist acts,
deprives Chechen IDPs of a genuine internal relocation alternative." ( Article
79)
"For these reasons the UNHCR would strongly advise against considering Ingushetia
as a reasonable relocation alternative for ethnic Chechen asylum-seekers originating
from Chechnya." (Article 85)