Statement of International Amnesty on Chechen refugees

Amnesty International is seriously concerned that refugees from tent camps in Ingushetia are being returned to the Chechen Republic against their will and without guarantees for their security. "Local and federal authorities in Ingushetia must immediately cease any attempts to coerce these refugees into returning to what continues to be an unsafe environment," Amnesty International urged.

"Despite assurances of the authorities that life in the Chechen Republic is returning to normal, the situation is still characterized by gross human rights abuses such as "disappearances", torture and ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions."

Amnesty International is also concerned about reports that military raids - which during the first three years of the current conflict mainly took place on the territory of the Chechen Republic - have spread to neighboring Ingushetia. During these raids federal forces have targeted civilian settlements as well as refugee camps and committed serious human rights violations.

"Such raids have no place in a country that claims to adhere to international human rights standards," Amnesty International said.

According to recent reports, 200 refugees from Bella Camp, one of the five remaining tent camps in Ingushetia, have been subjected to intense pressure by the Ingush authorities. First they were forced out of the camp to a temporary settlement, and a few days later they were sent back to the camp to live in worse conditions than previously. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees described the manner in which they were treated as "aggressive and unacceptable". The population of Bella Camp has dropped dramatically in recent months which could be an indication of a deliberate effort by the authorities to close yet another tent camp as was the case with Aki-Yurt camp in December 2002.

The acting head of the Chechen administration, Anatoly Popov, recently stated that all tent camps - housing approximately 12,000 of the 80,000 refugees in Ingushetia - would be dismantled by 1 October, four days prior to the planned presidential elections in the republic. Such statements spread fear among the tent camp population, the vast majority of which list security concerns as their main reason for not wanting to return and who remain unconvinced by repeated promises from the authorities that no one will be forced back to the Chechen Republic.

Amnesty International strongly urges the Russian authorities to live up to its human rights obligations and stop putting pressure on the refugees to return.

"Russian and Ingush authorities should cooperate with international organizations working in Ingushetia to ensure that those Chechens who feel unsafe to return have a safe haven in Ingushetia as long as necessary," Amnesty International concluded.