17:46, 10 June 2004

Chechen refugees in Georgia unwilling to return home

Some 50 of the Chechen refugees who have settled in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge met on 8 June with a Russian delegation led by Federal Migration Service deputy head Igor Yunash, Georgian and Russian media reported. A spokesman for the Chechens said that the overwhelming majority of them are reluctant to return to Chechnya because they fear for their safety, but they welcomed the Russian government's offer to pay compensation for their destroyed property. Some refugees also voiced an interest in receiving humanitarian aid sent last year by the Russian government and which they initially rejected. Most of the Chechens still hope to be granted political asylum in a third country.

Editors note: See also the article "Some 200 refugees ready to return from Georgia to Chechnya".

Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty