No forcible return of displaced Chechens...

Russian Federation:
No forcible return of displaced Chechens to Chechnya
until security is guaranteed



London -- Amnesty International strongly condemns any
attempts to return internally
displaced persons to Chechnya unless they can be guaranteed security. The
human rights organization voiced its concern following reports that the
Russian authorities are planning to close camps in Ingushetia for civilians
who fled the fighting in the Chechen Republic by the end of January 2003,
starting with Aki Yurt camp on 1st of December.

"If sent back, most of these people will not only find their homes
looted or destroyed, without conditions for even basic subsistence, but
will be put at risk of torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary detention,
'disappearance' and extrajudicial execution," Amnesty International warned.

Hundreds of thousands of people have sought refuge in neighbouring
republics as a result of the wars and continuing conflict in Chechnya in
the past decade. The Russian authorities are preparing now to send back
over one thousand people to a country where the lives of civilians are put
at risk on a daily basis by both the Russian security forces and the
Chechen fighters.

The financial compensation, promised by the Moscow-backed Chechen
authorities to returning refugees cannot replace the obligations of the
Russian government under international humanitarian law and human rights
law. "Internally displaced people have the right to be protected against
forcible return to or resettlement in any place where their life, safety,
liberty and/or health would be at risk. Present day Chechnya is certainly
such a place," the organization said.

"Amnesty International opposes the return of internally displaced
persons under pressure and duress to unsafe environment. We warn that the
closure of Aki Yurt camp in Ingushetia should not become a precedent for
further such closures," said Nicola Duckworth, Europe Program Director.

The organization appeals to the international community to ensure
that people who have fled the conflict are not returned to Chechnya or
other parts of the Russian Federation unless and until their safe and
durable return with dignity is assured.

Background
The renewal of hostilities in Chechnya in 1999 resulted in the displacement
of hundreds of thousands of people, many of them relatives or themselves
victims of gross human rights violations. At least 110,000 Chechens remain
in Ingushetia, and while many of them would be willing to return home under
the right circumstances, they list security concerns as their main reason
for not wanting do so for the time being.

The recent hostage crisis in Moscow has further worsened the plight
of Chechens in the Russian Federation. In the republic itself, the Russian
security forces continue to commit serious human rights violations against
the civilian population in a climate of impunity. In other parts of Russia,
Chechens have been subjected to harassment and arbitrary detention by law
enforcement agencies.

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29 November 2002
amnesty international
Sektion der Bundesrepublik Deutschland e.V.

amnesty international. Für die Menschenrechte.

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