[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1591-E1592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DISPLACED PERSONS FACING SERIOUS OBSTACLES IN RUSSIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, today I want to bring to the 
attention of colleagues two situations concerning internally

[[Page E1592]]

displaced persons (IDPs) in the Russian Federation. I recently chaired 
a Helsinki Commission hearing to assess the plight of IDPs , including 
those in the Caucasus region.
  The first involves IDPs from Chechnya who, according to reliable 
sources, continue to be pressured by Russian authorities to return to 
the war-torn capital city of Grozny, despite continuing violence there 
and a lack of many basic services. According to the State Department's 
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002, approximately 
140,000 persons remained internally displaced within Chechnya, with 
110,000 more displaced in the neighboring republic of Ingushetia. 
Despite international attention, including a letter initiated last fall 
by the Helsinki Commission, which I chair, the Russian Government 
continues to pressure IDPs to return, and in some cases limits the 
ability of NGOs to provide assistance.
  My concern for the safety of Chechen IDPs is well founded, as 
authorities in the past year closed three IDP camps, two near the 
village of Znamenskoye in northern Chechnya and the Aki-Yurt camp in 
Ingushetia, effectively forcing the residents back to Grozny. Reports 
of violence and human rights violations by both Russian military units 
and Chechen rebels in Chechnya are disturbing. The ongoing chaos in 
that war-torn region has kept UNHCR from certifying Chechnya as a safe 
return destination, which is supported by the fact that many 
international aid agencies have limited or suspended their operations 
out of concern for the safety of aid workers.
  Despite this lack of security, the United Nations estimates that more 
than 38,000 IDPs from Ingushetia returned to Chechnya last year, with 
many complaining of government coercion. While no camp has been closed 
since December 2002, Doctors Without Borders reports that government 
officials threaten to cut off assistance in Ingushetia and block future 
aid in Chechnya for those refusing to leave immediately. The stationing 
of Russian troops near IDP camps and the limiting of assistance from 
international agencies to camp residents represent pressure tactics to 
``encourage'' the return of IDPs to Chechnya.
  Clearly, the Russian Government is not respecting the fundamental 
right of individuals to seek safe refuge. As a participating State of 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the 
Russian Federation has committed to facilitate sustainable solutions to 
the plight of IDPs and the voluntary return of such individuals in 
dignity and safety. I urge President Putin to intervene to ensure that 
Russian policy and practice are consistent with these OSCE commitments 
and that no IDPs be effectively forced to return to their homes in 
Chechnya until the conditions have been created for their return. To do 
otherwise would place the lives of tens of thousands of innocent 
Russian citizens at risk.
  The second situation I want to briefly highlight concerns the plight 
of Meskhetian Turks in the Krasnodar Krai region of the Russian 
Federation. Also known as Ahiska Turks or Meskhetians, Meskhetian Turks 
were forced to relocate twice within the past 50 years, first from 
Soviet Georgia in November 1944 to the Soviet Socialist Republic of 
Uzbekistan. In 1989, approximately 90,000 Meskhetian Turks fled ethnic 
conflicts in Uzbekistan to all parts of the Soviet Union, with the 
largest concentration today found in Krasnodar Krai. Numbering 
approximately 13,000, these displaced individuals find themselves in a 
virtual no man's land, denied citizenship and permanent residency 
permits, as well as many other fundamental rights.
  Due to loopholes in the Russian citizenship law and the improper 
application of this law by Krasnodar Krai authorities, Meskhetian Turks 
must register as ``guests'' every 45 days, may not legally register the 
purchase of a house or car, and their marriages and deaths are not 
officially recorded. Most are denied education above high school, as 
well. The Krasnodar regional legislature enacted a series of laws in 
2002 in an attempt to pressure the Meskhetian Turks to leave. 
Corresponding with the expiration of the temporary registration held by 
most Krasnodar Meskhetian Turks, the laws reportedly cancelled leases 
on land or denied lease renewals for the 2002 crop season.
  Furthermore, chauvinistic local authorities have not intervened to 
prevent local Cossack paramilitary units from repeatedly victimizing 
Krasnodar Meskhetian Turks through public harassment, robbery, and 
vandalism. In late May, a mob of around 50 people attacked Meskhetian 
Turks and other non-Russian-looking individuals in two villages, 
injuring 30 people and hospitalizing six.
  By not granting citizenship or providing permanent residency status, 
current Russian policy enables the discriminatory practices subjugating 
the rights of Meskhetian Turks in Krasnodar Krai to continue. Mr. 
Speaker, President Putin cited the problems of citizenship and 
stateless persons in his annual State of the Federation address earlier 
this year. The Russian President pointed out the complexities and 
uncertainties faced by stateless persons in Russia. I urge him and 
Members of the State Duma to rectify the status of Meskhetian Turks and 
other stateless persons. Meanwhile, the Kremlin should intervene to 
ensure that Krasnodar Krai officials desist in their discriminatory 
treatment of the Meskhetian Turks until their status is normalized, as 
well as guarantee the prosecution of violent criminals.

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