Background to the Geneva Meeting China Chechnya East Timor Uzbekistan Sierra Leone Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Sudan Colombia Haiti Documents

Human Rights Watch wishes to draw the Commission's attention to three urgent situations of forced displacement. Chechnya More than 220,000 civilians have been displaced by the war in Chechnya. Most fled to the neighboring Republic of Ingushetia, others were displaced within Chechnya itself. Conditions for displaced people are deplorable. Some live in makeshift tents or railway carriage camps, others in abandoned buildings. The Russian authorities' response has been severely lacking and humanitarian agencies have not had full access to displaced persons. HRW Oral Statements Human Rights Watch Oral Statements Fleeing civilians have been blocked by Russian authorities. The internal border between Chechnya and Ingushetia has been repeatedly closed and border police extort bribes at the checkpoints. Convoys of civilians have been trapped and shelled, killing many. Most recently, the authorities stopped issuing documents to displaced persons, making it extremely difficult to pass Russian checkpoints. Russian authorities have repeatedly tried to force displaced persons to return by cutting off food supplies and assistance. We urge the Commission to call on the Russian authorities to immediately cease all attempts to pressure displaced persons to return to Chechnya. Displaced persons should be able to return in safety and with human rights guarantees. Russian authorities should allow displaced persons to move freely within the Russian Federation and provide them with necessary documentation. Russian authorities must ensure adequate humanitarian assistance for displaced persons and allow humanitarian agencies free and full access. Finally, the Commission should establish an independent, U.N. investigation into war crimes committed in Chechnya, including atrocities against displaced persons. Burundi Over 800,000 people in Burundi are internally displaced: some by civil war, others by a more recent government "regroupment" policy. In 1999 the Burundian government forced over 350,000 civilians into "regroupment" camps as part of a counter-insurgency strategy to protect the capital, Bujumbura. Camp security is poor. The Burundian military have committed widespread abuses against camp residents, including beatings, forced labor and sexual assault. Rebel groups have also terrorized camp residents. Security and physical constraints have restricted access to the camps by humanitarian agencies, including the U.N. Camps are far from roads, making delivery of relief almost impossible, and lack clean water, proper shelter, medical assistance and sanitation facilities. Hundreds of people have died due to the poor conditions. In January this year, the Burundian government pledged that it would dismantle ten of the camps. Yet, only two have been closed. At the same time, camps housing people displaced by the war who have nothing to do with the "regroupment" policy have been dispersed by the government. Many of these people are now squatting in unoccupied houses in Bujumbura. The Commission should call on the Burundian government to close all "regroupment" camps and end this abusive practice. War displaced persons in need of protection and assistance should not be forced out of camps. The international community should provide greater support to humanitarian organizations assisting the internally displaced. East Timor/ Indonesia Some 100,000 East Timorese refugees remain in Indonesian West Timor. Despite some improvements in security conditions, many camps and settlements continue to be controlled by the same militia groups that were responsible for forcing the refugees across the border in the first place. Refugees have been subjected to violence, harassment, and systematic disinformation about conditions in East Timor. The Indonesian government, which directly supported many of the militias prior to the U.N.-sponsored vote last year, still has not taken decisive action to stop the intimidation and arrest and prosecute those responsible. Humanitarian access to the camps continues to be restricted due to harassment of aid workers by militia members. Conditions in the refugee camps remain poor, with inadequate food, water and health services and high rates of disease and death. The Commission should urge the international community to provide Indonesia with financial support to care for the refugees. It should urge the Indonesian government to stop threatening to withdraw food aid as a means of pressuring refugees to return. Refugees should be provided with accurate information, should be able to make a free and informed choice about whether to return, and should be able to return or settle elsewhere in safety. Indonesian authorities should separate civilian and non-civilian refugees, and should promptly arrest and prosecute those responsible for intimidating refugees and humanitarian aid workers in West Timor.