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Russia’s forces are committing abuses against displaced Chechens in Ingushetia as the brutality of the conflict in Chechnya spills over into this neighboring republic, Human Rights Watch said in a report released
today.

The 28-page report, Spreading Despair: Russian Abuses in Ingushetia, documents arbitrary arrest and detention, ill treatment, and looting by Russian forces in Ingushetia this summer. The report charges that these abuses are among the tactics Russian authorities are using to pressure displaced persons living in Ingushetia to return to Chechnya.

Human Rights Watch questioned the Bush administration’s hands-off stance on Russian rights abuses in Chechnya since the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. The Bush-Putin summit will take place on the eve of the October 5 presidential elections in Chechnya, part of the Kremlin’s efforts to demonstrate that the situation there is returning to normal. However, the elections will be held amid escalating violence and human rights violations.

“The United States and Russia may be partners in the global campaign against terrorism, but they should not be partners in abuse,” said Rachel Denber, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia division. “President Bush should not squander the opportunity to send a strong message to President Putin to end the violations and protect displaced persons from abuses, and ensure that no one is coerced into returning to Chechnya.”

The report details seven security operations federal and local forces conducted in June 2003 in settlements for displaced persons, as well as in Ingush villages. The operations followed a pattern of sweep operations or targeted raids seen in Chechnya: large groups of armed personnel, often arriving on armored personnel carriers, would surround a settlement and conduct sweeps or random checks at peoples’ homes. In those security operations, at least eighteen people were arbitrarily detained; most of whom were not released until several days or weeks later, without ever receiving an explanation of the grounds for their detention. In other operations, federal forces appear to be responsible for killing one civilian and seriously injuring two others.

Russian authorities use other tactics to compel the approximately 84,000 displaced persons remaining in Ingushetia--particularly the 12,000 in tent camps-- to return to Chechnya. These include threats of arrest, arbitrary deregistration from camp lists and interruption of infrastructure services. In recent days, local authorities seemed set on closing one of the five remaining camps, Bella camp, by forcing residents to move to another camp. They have intermittently denied access for humanitarian and human rights groups to the camps.

“Pressuring displaced people and spreading abuses in Ingushetia is all part of the same strategy—to move the Chechnya problem inside Chechnya and block outside scrutiny,” said Denber. “President Bush should reject the illusion of ‘normalization’ and seek public commitments from President Putin on human rights improvements.”

Human Rights Watch recommended that President Bush seek commitments regarding protection for displaced persons, accountability for abuse and access to the conflict zone. These recommendations include:

  • No displaced person should be involuntarily returned to Chechnya, including by indirect means, such as threats, arrests, harassment or curtailment of humanitarian assistance in Ingushetia.
  • The Russian government should facilitate rather than hinder access by impartial humanitarian organizations to Ingushetia and Chechnya. The Russian government should also extend invitations to relevant U.N. monitors, including the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Special Rapporteur on Summary and Extrajudicial Executions.
  • Russian authorities should take concrete steps to address accountability for past and ongoing violations in Ingushetia and Chechnya.

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