The authorities of Chechnya prohibited a picket in protection of disabled persons and orphans

Mayor's office of Grozny rejected a non-governmental organization's notification of holding a picket in Grozny. In this way human rights activists were planning to draw attention of the community and authorities of Chechnya to the present-day problems of disabled people and orphans in the republic.

Khedi Abdulkuduzova, Chairperson of Regional non-governmental organization "Protection of rights of the disabled, veterans of combat operations and families of victims in Chechen Republic", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that notification of holding the picket was submitted six days before, i.e. "on May, 25, while the picket was planned for June, 1".

"The Government of our republic pays due attention only to orphan children and families of lost policemen, the rest categories of people in need do not get proper support", Abdulkuduzova emphasized.

According to her, 96 persons "who became orphans as a result of military campaigns in Chechnya" are only on the list of this organization. "But I find it difficult to say how may orphans in need of dwelling there really are. We were going to raise all these issues during the picket planned on June, 1, the Day of Children's Protection", the human rights activist said adding that disabled persons were the most unprotected category of population in the republic.

"The question of providing the disabled children with medical and psychological aid is not being settled in the republic", Khedi Abdulkuduzova states.

According to her, Mayor's office of Grozny gave "a very vague reply saying that we had violated clause seven of the Law "On meetings, demonstrations, processions and picketing".

"We were not explained which particular point concerning notification to the authorities we had violated", Abdulkuduzova said explaining that the notice was submitted in proper time with the observance of all legal regulations.

According to the activist, representatives of the organization are going to submit a new notification to Mayor's office of Grozny one of these days.

Mayor's office of Grozny produced no comments on the refusal to authorize the picket explaining to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "there were evidently violations of the law".

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Development of Chechnya, 416 orphans were on the dwelling waiting list as of the beginning of 2012. "We are planning to provide all of them with dwellings within the period of five years", an official of the Ministry explained.

According to him, there are 41 489 disabled children as of today. "As for the orphan children, according to the latest data, there are 1300 full orphans and over 25 000 half orphans in Chechnya", the official said.

Earlier, the "Caucasian Knot" reported problems with rehabilitation of disabled children in Chechnya. There is only one rehabilitation center in the republic for them.