16 October 2003, 12:58
Camps of Chechen refugees will likely be unblocked
Members of international humanitarian organizations, human rights activists, journalists and even relatives of the displaced persons living in the tent camps "Satsita", "Alina" and "Sputnik" in Ingushetia's Sunzha district have not been admitted to these camps for the last two or three weeks. They have been stopped by law-enforcement organ officials at the camps entry check-point and sent back. The tent camps of IDPs have been blocked in fact and turned to a "prohibited area".
The "arms of the law" asserted a special permit of the migration service was needed to enter the tent camp territory. According to their words, acting head of the Ingush Migration Service Ivan Pomeschenko issued such an order. Members of the refugees' Public Council of these camps managed to meet with the local migration service authorities.
To their great surprise, Pomeschenko said he had not issued any orders concerning the limitation of visits to the refugee camps and there were no such orders at all. According to him, security structure officers at the camps entry check-point simply commit extortion. Now members of the refugees' Public Council intend to go to the Ingush Interior Ministry's Department for Internal Security and demand to know about things happening and to punish the guilty for the lawless actions and despotism against IDPs.
Source: Infromation Center of the Council of NGOs
