Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center to assist with settling land disputes

On March 24, a group of residents of the village of Baksanyonok, Kabardino-Balkaria's Baksan district, turned to the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center, asking to assist them in getting title to plots of land, in conformity with the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On the Immediate Measures to Carry Out Land Reform in the RSFSR." The Baksanyonok residents report that the plots of land and shares of property were allotted to them during the reorganization of a state farm but they were not given any documents certifying their title.

In 2002, the district administration refused to give them ownership certificates for their plots of land. After it, the Baksanyonok residents take the issue to the Arbitration Tribunal of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria and to the Federal Arbitration Tribunal of the North-Caucasian District, but they were refused by both the instances. Their complaint is under consideration at the European Court of Human Rights now.

Representatives of the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center told the Caucasian Knot correspondent they were looking into the matter in order to decide what steps they should take.