Forced migrants in Chechnya disagree with the activities of the Special commission

Members of the special commission for improving the conditions in Temporary Residence Centres (TRCs) of forced migrants continue, together with the members of law enforcement bodies, to examine refugee camps in the territory of Chechnya.

A source in the MIA of the Republic reported that a great number of violations were detected. One of the basic violations, in his words, was mismatch of the number of actual residents in TRCs with the list available with the commandants of the camps.

"It has been established in the course of examinations that many people in the lists of TRC residents as forced migrants, in reality do not live there. Many of them come there only periodically to pick up humanitarian aid. There are also many people here who have their own housing. It also happens that, say, part of the members of a family live at home, and part - at a TRC as if homeless. Only in the TRCs of the Kurchaloj District, about 20 families were revealed, who lived in TRCs while having their own housing area. To say nothing about multiple write-ups and other abuses by camp commandants and bureaucrats."

Meanwhile, many forced migrants are dissatisfied with the activities of the special commission for TRC examination. "Life is not fine at TRCs, and to make it still worse, various inspectors have appeared. Such "inspection" may be held any time of the day. "They may come in the daytime, if they wish, or at night," Liza, 51, a resident of a TRC in the Staropromyslovskiy District of Grozny, asserts. "If at the moment the person is not in place, he or she is immediately crossed out of the lists. It means that we should stay in our rooms day and night, without getting out. It is not possible to visit relatives or take part in funerals. It looks like a mere mockery."

In the second half of April this year, the chairman of the government of the Chechen Republic spoke very sharply in relation to the Places of Compact Residence (PCRs) of forced migrants. He called the TRCs of refugees to be "a nest of crime, drugs and prostitution" and demanded from local authorities and law enforcement bodies to bring them into proper order. After that, Chechnya created a special commission to control the observance of norms and rules of residence in Temporary Residence Centres of forced migrants.