From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 9/2/2005 2:38 PM
September, 2, 2005

The Application of the Chechens, Living in Hamburg

We, the Chechen refugees living in Hamburg , have gone through difficult days in the end of August. On the 24 th of August, 2005 , in all newspapers of Germany there was information that three people, speaking the Arabian language, prepared for an act of terrorism in Hamburg . But in the photos in newspapers there were photos of young men from our community, whom we knew only from the most positive side. Thus we observed, how the German special troops had surrounded, practically, all places, where Chechens lived.

Understanding, that the young men, shown in newspapers, were fair and decent people, who could not do anything illegal, especially an act of terrorism, we saw, how some unclear grandiose provocation was being prepared against us.

Remembering the recent events in London , about acts of terrorism and execution of an innocent citizen of Brazil there, we waited, what would happen further, we were sure, that three innocent people had been appointed to be victims. We have got such an experience of life in Russia , when special services arrest Chechens without the slightest grounds, and then force them to take up any crimes, which they have not committed with beatings and tortures and open a false case against them.

Fortunately, the Hamburg police have not lowered down to such a level, and after careful interrogation, having become convinced that the denunciation of an "Egyptian" was false; the police released the arrested people. We are even grateful to the police that they have not assimilated to the Russian militia, which in this case would fabricate false charges and imprison innocent people for long years.

But, nevertheless, we believe, that the roughest legal crime is committed against all of us: special troops used to rush into our houses, breaking out doors, offending and humiliating us. First, we have been slandered for the whole world: a lot of newspapers, the Internet-sites, TV and radio published materials unfairly discrediting us. Secondly, three innocent people were detained, though two of them voluntary came to a police station as soon as they had seen their portraits in newspapers. Thirdly, we have lived these three days in a condition of an extreme risk: these three, who were suspected, and each of us could be shot, like the Brazilian in London , by policemen who, practically, had surrounded and blocked each Chechen family.

We understand that the police should struggle against terrorism and prevent it, and we support it.

But we also have become witnesses of that the police distributed obviously not proved information in mass press, specifying particularly at the people of the Chechen nationality; thus the police promoted expansion of a large-scale political propaganda provocation in press against us, Chechen refugees.

The Anti-Chechen propaganda action in press has passed successfully. Now we have become derelicts of the society, none of us can easily go out in the street, neighbors have stopped to communicate with us, our children do not want to go to school, they are already offended and humiliated by schoolmates.

Who is responsible for the injustice admitted in relation to us? So far we do not see any material correcting this roughest mistake or a crime in press; nobody has apologized to us. The three people, whose portraits were published in all newspapers, cannot appear in streets at all, because now people see criminals in them, their position is very risky and dangerous, and it is unclear, what their status is: whether they are still suspected or not, whether there is a criminal case against them or not, whether there still is operatively-search information against them in computers? There are many other questions.

Irrespective of, whether the events were a gross blunder of the police, tensely expecting of the acts of terrorism from different directions, or it was a well organized provocation of the Russian special services working against Chechens both in the Russia, and in the territory of Germany, or, maybe, they were some "doctrines of struggle against terrorism", all of us, Chechens living in Hamburg, have turned out to be a victim of injustice and lawlessness.

After this three-day action we expect tragic consequences for ourselves. We are afraid, that the continuation of this action will be prosecutions of Chechens in democratic Germany , just the same as it is done in totalitarian Russia . We have lived here for more than 4 years and many of us have not received the legal status of refugees till now, and for this reason we live, like in a ghetto: we cannot move freely for the distance of more than 30 kilometers, we cannot study and work. The consequence of the last anti-Chechen propaganda campaign will be dragging out of the decisions concerning the status of refugees, refusals in the status of refugees to us and deportation also will be inevitable. We try to prevent it with this letter. We suspect that the informer, the so-called "Egyptian" was a provoker, that all this was purposefully organized against all Chechens by interested forces.

Therefore we demand the legal estimation of the events, to punish the people, guilty of the premature distribution of unproved information discrediting, to restore our reputation, to publish the information in press denying the guilt of Chechens, to define the status of three innocent and slandered people according to the German law (whether they are guilty or not, whether they are still suspected or not) and to tell them definitely, whether they can feel easy and be sure and not be afraid, that tomorrow the same illegal actions will be repeated against them.

We think that police bodies and heads of the structures, which have carried out this rough inept operation, should be interested in correction of the mistakes if, certainly, Germany is really democratic country, where the law and order operate.

Refugees from the Chechen Republic Ichkeria, inhabitants of Hamburg :

Signatures: (tens of surnames)

Chechenpress , the Department of letters, 02.09.05.
http://chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2005/09/02/02.shtml