Ingushetia: camp of Chechen refugees left without electricity

The Ingush refugees' camp in Karabulak named "Sozidanie" (Creation) housing over 150 forced migrants from Chechnya was left without electricity supply. The refugees view it as an attempt to evict them.

According to Said-Hussein Deniev, one of the refugees, residents of the camp have a debt for electricity of 40,000 roubles to the "Ingushenergo" Company. The debt has accumulated for two months of non-payment of the bills. Besides, the refugees "were added" 55,000 roubles of the debt that had remained from the previous camp tenant.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Zara Gazieva, leader of the children's human rights organization "World of Mother and Child", who is now in the venue, that the refugees addressed both energy suppliers and administration of the city. According to her story, the "Ingushenergo" has reported that the cut-off was the order of the administration of Karabulak; and the latter referred to power suppliers.

According to refugee Ahmed Evloev, they want to evict camp residents without any rights. Said-Hussein Deniev agrees, saying that servants of the Chechen and Ingush migration agencies have been long urging refugees to leave Karabulak for Chechnya.

In the opinion of Aslambek Apaev, chairman of the NGO "Committee in Defence of Forced Migrants' Rights" and expert of the Moscow Helsinki Group for Northern Caucasus, the optimum way out for the refugees would be to go to courts.

"Moscow, when starting a counterterrorist operation, failed to assume a potential flow of forced migrants," said Mr Apaev. According to his version, Russia found money to rum warfare but failed to ensure restoration of property and houses.