| Intefax, 22 August
2003 19:03 Russian official blasts Amnesty International over Chechnya refugees Moscow, 22 August: Russia's rights commissioner for Chechnya has dismissed as "absolutely groundless" and "provocative" Friday's [22 August] claims by Amnesty International that Chechen refugees are being returned to Chechnya by coercion and with no security guarantees. Amnesty was speaking about refugees staying in Ingushetia, a Russian region bordering Chechnya. "This is far from the first instance where international organizations are trying to mislead public opinion, primarily in the West, about the situation with Chechen resettlers in Ingushetia," Abdul-Khakim Sultygov told Interfax. "It's obvious that a certain part of the staff of those organizations needs the refugee tent camps in Ingushetia to be preserved for reasons that include political motives." Nor did international humanitarian bodies have any reason to accuse Russia of seeking to avoid cooperating with them in the North Caucasus, Sultygov said. "We do interact with organizations that want true cooperation," he said. "The absolute majority of humanitarian organizations are doing their duty honestly and conscientiously, at times even risking the lives of their staff. But some of the organizations are a long way from the goals of rights defence - and from facts for that matter." Recently, Igor Yunash, deputy head of the Russian Migration Service, told Interfax refugees who did not wish to go to Chechnya would be able to stay in Ingushetia and would be provided with better housing there. |