16.06.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Chechen refugees in Pankisi Gorge are voluntary returning home ("Pankisi Chechens Head Home") [#32995],  [ID 16911]

Document(s): Open document

25.05.2005 - Source: ReliefWeb

Members of Russian delegation offered new security guarantees to Chechen refugees in Georgia’s Pankisi gorge if they repatriate to Chechnya ("Russian officials try to convince Chechen refugees to repatriate (UNA Georgia)") [#32358],  [ID 16912]

Document(s): Open document

13.09.2004 - Source: ReliefWeb

Pankisi: Chechen refugees in the Pankisi-gorge are exposed to arrests, ill treatment and threats of being send home ("Norwegian Refugee Council warns about atrocities committed towards refugees in the Pankisi-gorge (NRC)") [#25535],  [ID 16913]

Document(s): Open document

08.08.2004 - Source: ReliefWeb

Chechen refugees living in the villages in Pankissi Gorge, Georgia, are repeatedly being attacked by unknown armed groups ("Chechen refugee situation in Pankissi still intense (Prague Watchdog)") [#24716],  [ID 16914]

Document(s): Open document

27.05.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Many of the 3,856 Chechen refugees registered in Georgia, worried about Georgian president Saakashvili’s drive to cooperate with Russia, are desperate to leave the country ("Chechen Refugees Want Out of Georgia") [#22545],  [ID 16915]

"But, like many other of the 3,856 Chechen refugees registered in Georgia, Astayeva now wants to flee again – this time to the West. “We need to get out of here – beyond the ex-Soviet Union,” she said. Refugees recite the misery of life in the Pankisi, but increasingly they also voice fears about Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili’s drive to cooperate with Russia, including sealing off Chechnya. [...] Although their numbers are small, the Chechens in Pankisi are a still major political issue in Georgian-Russian relations. Until 2002, significant numbers of guerrillas were believed to use the steep, wooded valley and its string of villages about 50 kilometres from Chechnya as a rear base for their operations. Crime, including kidnapping, was also beyond the control of the Georgian authorities. That has changed since a series of police sweeps that began in early 2002, and with the improved security, Georgian troops have reduced their presence in the area from nine to five checkpoints. Yet Chechens, worried that Saakashvili has struck a deal with the Kremlin to hand some of them back to Russia, feel less safe than ever. In February this year, two Chechen men vanished shortly after being freed from Georgian custody in Tbilisi, only to reappear in the hands of Russian police. The Georgian government denied accusations that it spirited the two Chechens to Russia in February. [...] Although their numbers are small, the Chechens in Pankisi are a still major political issue in Georgian-Russian relations. Until 2002, significant numbers of guerrillas were believed to use the steep, wooded valley and its string of villages about 50 kilometres from Chechnya as a rear base for their operations. Crime, including kidnapping, was also beyond the control of the Georgian authorities. That has changed since a series of police sweeps that began in early 2002, and with the improved security, Georgian troops have reduced their presence in the area from nine to five checkpoints. Yet Chechens, worried that Saakashvili has struck a deal with the Kremlin to hand some of them back to Russia, feel less safe than ever. In February this year, two Chechen men vanished shortly after being freed from Georgian custody in Tbilisi, only to reappear in the hands of Russian police. The Georgian government denied accusations that it spirited the two Chechens to Russia in February. [...] Since 2003, just 38 Chechens have left Pankisi for new countries, including Canada, Sweden and Finland, according to the UNHCR. Another 17 “cases,” meaning either individuals or families, have been accepted by host countries, but not yet allowed to leave. This year, UNHCR hopes to speed up the process and win approval for 100 cases. Canadian representatives met refugees less than a month ago. Yet even at this rate, it is clear that only a small portion will be able to go."

Document(s): Open document

18.02.2004 - Source: Prima News

Georgia: Two Chechen refugees allegedly illegally turned over to Moscow; according to the Chechen International Committee for the Defence of Human Rights the suggestion is supported by reliabl evidence ("Chechen refugees suspect that two Chechens were illegally turned over to Moscow") [#19439],  [ID 16916]

Document(s): Open document

05.10.2003 - Source: Civil Georgia

Chechen refugees living in Georgia Pankisi Gorge refused to participate in the presidential elections of Chechnya, held on October 5. ("Refugees in Pankisi Boycott Elections in Chechnya") [#16471],  [ID 16917]

"Chechen refugees living in Georgia Pankisi Gorge refused to participate in the presidential elections of Chechnya, held on October 5. “No polling stations are opened in Pankisi Gorge,” Nukri Arveladze, head of the Akhmeta district, where Pankisi is located, told Civil Georgia. Last week Russian delegation visited Pankisi gorge and tried in vain to convince up to 3,700 Chechen refugees to return to their homeland. Six candidates are competing for the presidency in Chechnya, but the favorite is the Kremlin's top official in Chechnya Akhmad Kadyrov. The Russian authorities have been faced with widespread criticism for holding a vote during wartime."

Document(s): Open document

02.10.2003 - Source: Civil Georgia

Russian authorities’ second try to convince refugees living in Georgia’s Pankisi gorge since 1999, to return to the war-torn Chechnya failed again ("Moscow Still Fails to Allay Chechens’ Fears") [#16472],  [ID 16918]

Document(s): Open document

02.09.2003 - Source: Civil Georgia

Russian Minister for Chechnya Stanislav Iliasov told reporters in Tbilisi that Moscow will guarantee security for Chechen refugees willing to return to Chechnya ("Russia Vows to Provide Security for Chechen Refugees") [#15660],  [ID 16880]

Document(s): Open document

02.09.2003 - Source: Civil Georgia

Russian Minister for Chechnya Stanislav Iliasov told reporters in Tbilisi that Moscow will guarantee security for Chechen refugees willing to return to Chechnya ("Russia Vows to Provide Security for Chechen Refugees") [#15660],  [ID 16919]

Document(s): Open document

02.09.2003 - Source: ReliefWeb

Representatives from the Russian delegation and the Interior Ministry of Georgia today set up a special commission that will work on the repatriation of Chechen refugees to their homes ("Georgian-Russian Joint Commission will Work for Chechens’ Repatriation (UNAG)") [#15658],  [ID 16920]

Document(s): Open document

22.07.2003 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Situation of Chechen refugees in Georgia (in German) ("Reisebericht Georgien 18. - 25. Mai 2003") [#14436],  [ID 16921]

"Bis Mitte 2002 seien von UNHCR insgesamt 8.000 tschetschenische Flüchtlinge registriert worden. Für das vom Zustrom der Flüchtlinge am meisten betroffene Pankisi-Tal habe UNHCR Hilfsprogramme finanziert. Aufgrund der Tatsache, dass sich ein großer Teil der lokalen Kist-Bevölkerung und einzelne tschetschenische Kämpfer, die im nahe zu Tschetschenien gelegenen Pankisi-Tal Unterschlupf gefunden hatten, sich ebenfalls als Flüchtlinge registrieren ließen, habe die georgische Regierung mit Unterstützung von UNHCR im April 2002 erneut versucht, die Zahl tschetschenischer Flüchtlinge in Georgien zu erheben. Nach der zweiten Registrierung wurden 4.000 tschetschenische Flüchtlinge im Pankisi-Tal und 150 in Tbilisi gezählt. Ein starker Zustrom von Flüchtlingen aus Tschetschenien sei allerdings nicht mehr zu verzeichnen. Man gehe davon aus, dass seit April 2002 ca. 50-200 Flüchtlinge nach Georgien gekommen seien. Auch sei es nicht unwahrscheinlich, dass sich unter diesen bereits schon einmal Registrierte befänden. Die russischen Behörden hätten nach Angaben von UNHCR nach der April-Registrierung die Liste mit Namen der Flüchtlinge gefordert, die georgische Regierung habe aber versichert, die Namen der registrierten Flüchtlinge nicht an Moskau weitergegeben zu haben. Im Juni 2003 wurde erneut von UNHCR und dem Ministerium für Flüchtlinge und deren Unterbringung eine Registrierung durchgeführt, der zufolge die Zahl tschetschenischer Flüchtlinge im Pankisi-Tal zurückgegangen sei. Ein großer Teil der Flüchtlinge im Pankisi-Tal sei bei Gastfamilien untergebracht. Durch die auf amerikanischen und russischen Druck hin durchgeführten Anti-Terror-Operationen solle sich die Sicherheitslage im Pankisi-Tal nach Angaben von UNHCR zwar gebessert haben, die erneuten Konfrontation mit Spezialoperationen sei aber besonders für die traumatisierte Flüchtlingsbevölkerung sehr belastend gewesen. Mit Unterstützung von UNHCR berieten derzeit zwei Juristen tschetschenische Flüchtlinge. Im Mittelpunkt der Rechtsberatung stünden insbesondere Fragen der Registrierung und Wiederansiedlung. Bis vor einiger Zeit sei es im Pankisi-Tal sehr schwierig gewesen aufgrund von Korruption, fehlender Information, hoher Kosten und mangelnder technischer Voraussetzungen für Neugeborene Geburtsurkunden ausstellen zu lassen. Mit Hilfe von UNHCR gebe es jetzt zumindest genügend Formulare für die Registrierung der Neugeborenen. 5.5.1 Zugang zu medizinischer Versorgung Die medizinische Hilfe und Nahrungsmittelversorgung im Pankisi-Tal werde durch lokale NGOs und die Weltgesundheitsorganisation unterstützt. Psychologische Hilfe und Versorgung gebe es allerdings keine. In Akhmeta gebe es ein Bezirkskrankenhaus, das allerdings nur sehr schlecht ausgestattet sei. Die Zuweisung tschetschenischer Flüchtlinge nehme die lokale NGO TAG – Technical Assistance Georgia vor. Medikamente würden zusätzlich von MSF bereitgestellt. Auch wenn es wiederholt zu Beschwerden über eine angeblich unfaire Verteilung von Medikamenten gekommen sei, gehe UNHCR nicht davon aus, dass solche Unregelmäßigkeiten auf Verschulden von TAG zurückzuführen seien. TAG halte sich bei der Verteilung von Medikamenten an Flüchtlinge an die internationalen Richtlinien der Weltgesundheitsorganisation. Die ca. 150 in Tbilisi verbleibenden tschetschenischen Flüchtlinge würden allerdings keine Unterstützung durch UNHCR erhalten. Hier gebe es auch außer in Notfällen keine kostenlose medizinische Behandlung. 5.5.2 Zugang zu Bildung Offiziell sei sowohl die Grundschuldbildung als auch die höhere Schuldbildung kostenlos. In der Praxis hätten Kinder tschetschenischer Flüchtlingsfamilien nach Angaben von UNHCR zwar Zugang zu Grund- und Mittelschulen, Probleme gebe es allerdings beim Zugang zu Universitäten. Nur eine sehr kleine Zahl tschetschenischer Jugendlicher könne sich den Besuch von Hochschulen leisten. UNHCR versuche bei der Vermittlung von Studienstipendien behilflich zu sein. Auch in Tbilisi sei der Schulbesuch offiziell gratis. Tschetschenische Flüchtlingskinder hätten hier allerdings genauso wie Kinder der Allgemeinbevölkerung ca. 5 Lari pro Monat an ihre Lehrer zu bezahlen. 5.5.3 Situation ethnischer Tschetschenen Die georgische Regierung habe sich in der Vergangenheit zwar wiederholt für die Repatriierung der tschetschenischen Flüchtlinge ausgesprochen, auf der anderen Seite aber immer wieder auf ihre Bereitschaft hingewiesen, die Flüchtlinge so lange zu schützen, wie es notwendig sei.54 Dennoch seien im August 2002 fünf von 13 wegen illegalem Grenzübertritt verhaftete Tschetschenen ohne Auslieferungsverfahren unmittelbar nach ihrer Festnahme nach Tschetschenien zurückgeschickt worden. Alle 13 hätten sofort nach ihrem Aufgriff bei den georgischen Behörden um Asyl angesucht.55 Im Dezember 2002 seien fünf tschetschenische Flüchtlinge von georgischen Sicherheitskräften in Akhmeta geschlagen und anschließend verhaftet worden. Zwei von ihnen seien nach drei Tagen mit der Auflage freigelassen worden, innerhalb von 72 Stunden Georgien zu verlassen. Einer der Tschetschenen, der wegen Drogenbesitzes verhaftet worden sei, habe UNHCR Mitarbeitern berichtet, in Telavi gefoltert worden zu sein. Eine strafrechtliche Verfolgung des Falles sei inzwischen aufgrund mangelnder Beweise abgebrochen worden. Am 7. Dezember 2002 habe es in Tbilisi eine Spezialoperation gegeben. Alle in Tbilisi lebenden Tschetschenen seien aufgerufen worden, um fünf Uhr morgens auf der zuständigen Polizeistation zu erscheinen. Dort solle man von ihnen Fingerabdrücke, Fotos und sogar Videoaufzeichnungen gemacht haben. Nach Angaben der Behörden wäre dieses Vorgehen nicht gegen tschetschenische Flüchtlinge gerichtet, sondern eine notwendige Maßnahme zur Bekämpfung der illegalen Migration gewesen.56 Von unregelmäßig statt findenden Verhaftungen von Flüchtlingen höre UNHCR meistens erst zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt. UNHCR verfüge in diesem Zusammenhang über keine genauen Informationen, räume aber ein, dass es zu Misshandlungen während solcher Verhaftungen kommen könne."

Document(s): Open document

03.09.2002 - Source: EurasiaNet

Restricted access to Pankisi Gorge ("Georgian security operation proceeds in the Pankisi gorge, 3 September 2002") [ID 12023]

"Georgia has restricted access to the Pankisi Gorge, as security forces launch what some officials term "proper operational measures" to bring the lawless region firmly back under government control. The Pankisi operation, Georgian officials hope, will defuse escalating tension with Russia. But Moscow has not given any indication that it will ease pressure on Tbilisi.

Authorities announced September 2 that only local residents and properly documented Chechen refugees are now allowed to enter the gorge, which is being patrolled by about 2,500 troops drawn from Georgia's defense, interior and state security ministries."

Document(s): Georgian security operation proceeds in the Pankisi gorge, 3 September 2002

04.06.2002 - Source: Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly

70 percent of the Chechen refugees are hosted by the local population ("Situation of refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, 4 June 2002") [ID 12022]

"88. Concerning the situation of 8 000 Chechen refugees staying in the Pankisi Valley, the main concern is to prevent any hasty and premature repatriation. 70% are hosted by the local population, 30% live in communal centres. All of them are dependent on international assistance. Any returns should be made on voluntary basis, and only when security conditions in Chechnya will be satisfactory."

Document(s): Situation of refugees and displaced persons in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, 4 June 2002

06.2002 - Source: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

USCR: Chechen refugees in Georgia ("World Refugee Survey 2002") [#7425],  [ID 12021]

"Despite increasing pressure from the Russian Federation to control what the Russian government termed a hotbed of Chechen terrorism in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley, Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze declared in a November radio address that the Chechens there were “not bandits and criminals, but refugees,” pledging to continue to support them “as long as they stay on Georgia’s territory.”

The bulk of Chechen refugees in Georgia fled between October 1999 and January 2000, negotiating treacherous paths through snow-covered mountain passes of the Argun Valley—regularly the target of Russian shelling—to reach the Georgian border.

Because of the difficulty of providing assistance to the remote Shatili border area, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Georgian border officials transferred the initial groups of Chechen refugees by helicopter to Zhinvali and by buses to the Pankisi Valley on the northeast border of Georgia, an area that historically has been home to ethnic Chechens, or “Kists.” About 85 percent of the refugees found accommodation in the private homes of friends or relatives in five Pankisi Valley villages—Duisi, Jokolo, Omalo, Khomatsani, and Birkiani.

According to Georgia’s Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, about 4,900 of the 7,882 refugees registered from Chechnya were ethnic Chechens, 2,877 were Kists (i.e., they were ethnic Chechens who could trace their ancestry to the Georgian side of the border), 48 were Georgians, 30 Azeris, 11 Russians, and 13 others. At the end of 2001, about 7,500 of the Chechen refugees were living in the Pankisi Valley and about 400 elsewhere in Georgia.

Although Georgian border officials reportedly continued to allow Chechens to cross into Georgia in 2001, border guards reportedly demanded bribes from refugees attempting to enter. The Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation granted the Chechens refugee status on a prima facie basis, provided that they remained within the Pankisi Valley. The government issued them refugee identification documents. In 2001, about 80 percent of the refugees living in the Pankisi Valley resided with local families. The remainder either lived in collective centers or occupied the abandoned homes of ethnic Ossets. Most of the refugees living outside the Pankisi Valley rented private residences. Georgia conducted no individual refugee status determinations of Chechen asylum seekers in 2001.

Since the August 2000 kidnapping of three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid workers delivering food in the Pankisi Valley, international humanitarian organizations have provided only sporadic aid to refugees in the Pankisi Valley and have curtailed international staff in the area, relying instead on local staff. Chechen sources claimed that an outbreak of viral hepatitis threatened refugees in the Pankisi Valley late in the year, but international humanitarian agencies were not able to provide medicines that might prevent an epidemic.

Tensions continued to grow between the Chechens/Kists in the Pankisi Valley and the non-Kist Georgians living in the vicinity. Georgians accused the Chechens and Kists of criminal activities, including drug smuggling, cattle rustling, and hostage taking. A series of abductions and counter-abductions in the Kakheti region near the Pankisi Valley escalated into near-open conflict between vigilante groups in July, but an all-out violent confrontation was averted through negotiations involving community elders and warlords. In his weekly radio address, President Shevardnadze called on Kists and ethnic Georgians in Kakheti to be patient, acknowledging that thousands of “refugees from Chechnya live in a small gorge and this, obviously, exacerbates the situation and changes the established traditions of coexistence.” He appealed to Kists and ethnic Georgians for calm, saying, “We are seriously working on the plans for the social and economic development of the Pankisi gorge and adjacent villages.”

In October, fighting reportedly broke out in the Kodori Gorge between Chechen guerrillas and troops of the secessionist Abkhaz region."

Document(s): Open document

30.04.2002 - Source: Jamestown Foundation

Number of Chechen refugees remaining in Pankisi Gorge decreased ("Chechen Weekly, Vol. 3, Issue 13, 30 April 2002") [ID 12027]

"Agence France Presse noted on April 22 that the number of Chechen refugees remaining in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge had fallen sharply over the past year. "While there were nearly 7,000 refugees in the area a year ago," the press service wrote, "there are now just 1,100, the [Georgian Refugee] Ministry announced after carrying out a census this month with the support of the United Nations' refugees agency." At least 2,000 refugees who had been living in the Gorge area left Georgia this year, either to return to Chechnya or to go to other countries or to other regions of Russia."

Document(s): Chechen Weekly, Vol. 3, Issue 13, 30 April 2002

08.03.2002 - Source: Agence France Presse

Georgia and Russia agree on repatriating Chechen refugees ("Georgia, Russia agree on repatriating Chechen refugees: Shevardnadze, 8 March 2002") [ID 12028]

"Russia and Georgia have reached an agreement over the repatriation of Chechen refugees living in Georgia's volatile Pankisi gorge, Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze was quoted as saying Friday.
"Georgia has reached a good understanding with Russia on repatriation issues," Shevardnadze was quoted as saying by the ITAR-TASS news agency.

"Russian authorities and President Vladimir Putin are ready to help refugees return home, and that means not only women, children and the elderly, but also those who took part in the war but did not commit any crimes," Shevardnadze said."

Document(s): Georgia, Russia agree on repatriating Chechen refugees: Shevardnadze, 8 March 2002

07.02.2002 - Source: Agence France Presse

Russia to seek Chechen refugee return ("Russia to seek Chechen refugee return, but Georgia orders delay") [ID 12029]

"Russia is to attempt to persuade Chechen refugees in Georgia to return home but has delayed sending a delegation to the region at the request of the Georgian side, Russian media reported Thursday.
The return will be organised "in line with international norms ... and with the refugees' wishes," the Russian minister for Chechnya, Vladimir Yelagin, told Echo Moscow.

He dismissed fears the returnees might be placed in filtration camps.

Homes have already been prepared to receive refugees at Sernovodsk in western Chechnya and at Gudermes, in the east, Yelagin said.

He quoted an order by President Vladimir Putin that "favourable conditions must be set up for the refugees' return."

Around 7,700 Chechen refugees have fled to the Pankisi gorge region of northern Georgia, just over the border from the breakaway republic where Russian troops have been attempting to put down a separatist insurgency for the past 28 months."

Document(s): Russia to seek Chechen refugee return, but Georgia orders delay

28.09.2001 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Visa regime ("Relations Between Russia, Georgia Strained Over Terrorism Issues, 28 September 2001") [ID 12030]

"Russian officials say they were forced to impose visa controls on Russia's border with Georgia in 2000. The new regime was introduced with the aim of impeding the movement of Chechen rebels and their weapons across the frontier. Georgians wishing to enter Russia now need to apply for a visa at Russian consular offices, while Russians wanting to visit Georgia need to do the same at Georgian consular offices."

Document(s): Relations Between Russia, Georgia Strained Over Terrorism Issues, 28 September 2001