Statement of Chechen non-government and human rights organizations on occasion of refugee camp "Bella" liquidation

On October 1, 2003, 29 representatives of Chechen non-government and human rights organizations promulgated a statement in Nazran on the occasion of the refugee camp "Bella" liquidation. Here are some extracts from this statement:

"The situation with the tent camp of Chechen refugees "Bella" on the outskirt of the Ordzhonikidzevskaya village, Ingushetia's Sunzha district, has reached an appropriate ending. In spite of an undisguised unwillingness of the inhabitants of this temporary accommodation center, the tent camp has been forcedly liquidated."

"Numerous addresses of "Bella" camp inhabitants to the international community, Russian leadership and Russian human rights activists have remained unanswered."

"The strangest thing about what is happening is, in our opinion, the fact that the overt infringement of norms of international law is taking place by total silence of such an international organization as the UNHCR, thought to defend displace persons' rights is a mission of the latter. There was also no necessary reaction for revoking the illegal order of the Russian Federal Migration Service on the "Bella" liquidation from the direction of Ella Pamfilova, Presidential Commission on Human Rights Chairwoman."

"We call upon the UNHCR, international humanitarian organizations, Russian human rights organizations to express their attitude to the illegal actions of the Russian authorities on the tent camp "Bella" liquidation and demand that the Russian leadership should leave off the practice of forced liquidation of tent camps and centers of temporary accommodation of Chechen refugees of the territory of Ingushetia."