August 18th 2003 · Prague Watchdog / Timur Aliyev
 
Chechen rights activist accused of bribing refugees

Timur Aliyev, North Caucasus – Ivan Pomeshchkenko, acting head of the Department for Migration Affairs (UDM) of Ingushetia, accused Chechen human rights activist Ruslan Badalov of bribing several refugees, and said as much to our Prague Watchdog correspondent recently.

Pomeshchkeno said: “Several women came to me saying, 'Badalov gave us $7,000 yesterday so we d campaign against the repatriation of refugees to Chechnya. If you give us the same amount we ll say exactly the opposite.' 

He is convinced the Chechen refugees have been so addled by these women that they now refuse to leave their tent camps. “In the Bella camp, there are six or seven troublemakers hell-bent on influencing the other refugees. 

According to him, there are some forces interested in hindering the repatriation process in order to politically profit from it.

Ruslan Badalov, chairman of the Chechen Committee for National Salvation, is shocked by the absurdity of this allegation. “For the past three years human rights activists have been accused of many things, but this is the first time this has happened,  he insists.

Badalov rejects the accusations, describing them as an invention of another Russian official looking to earn credit for this.  “We just monitor violations of refugees` rights, collect their signed statements and visit the camps only at their invitation,  he stated.

He accused the migration officials of exerting psychological pressure on the refugees. According to him, they tell the people to immediately leave the Bella camp and move to another place of residence. “It s disgraceful that people who are duty-bound to assist refugees are harming them instead.