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From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng  (Original Message)    Sent: 12/1/2005 4:19 AM
Decmber, 1, 2005

The Group of Movement in Czechia

November 19 in Prague, the director of Department on an asylum and the Migratory policy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Czechia Tomas Haisman received ”The Group of Movement”.

Mister Haisman has told about the system of inquiry and granting of asylum in Czechia and a situation with granting statuses to refugees from the Chechen Republic.

Since the beginning of 1999 about 10 000 people have asked an asylum in this country and 95 percents from them are refugees from the Chechen Republic. For all this period 212 people were recognized as refugees, possibly, this number includes also those who named themselves as the Chechen.

In 2003-2004 years, there was the basic stream of refugees from the Chechen Republic, but almost all of them abandoned the country and moved in Austria, France and Belgium.

After changes in a migratory policy of EU occurred, in accordance with Dublin Convention, the refugees who have got over in the western countries, come back to the territory of Czechia and under the laws of this country are removed from the procedure of asylum inquiry and within two years are deprived an opportunity to renew it. As infringers of border, they are located in the closed centers.

In removal of the decision on the request for asylum, the Czech authorities are guided by statistics on which the Chechen refugees have the consecutive tendency to abandon Czechia and consequently they do not require granting of asylum in this country. The same is in Slovakia, for this reason authority do not concern seriously to applications of refugees from the Chechen Republic and prefer not to give the status of the refugee to Chechens, explaining with the fact that given ethnic group still leaves Czechia, going further in the western countries.

- For these years 5700 people have been removed from this procedure, those who tried to pass the border, - says mister Haisman. 1000 from them are returned to Poland according to the Dublin Convention, but others in order not to return in Russia, are being legalized, they receive the permission to live in Czechia. Yet we do not see the reasons for granting a political asylum for Chechens, and we think that the present wave of refugees from the Chechen Republic is connected to economic problems.

On a question, what documents and conclusions have formed the basis for such statement, the director of Department has referred to certain report of UVKB where, supposedly, it is said, that the war in the Chechen Republic had been finished, and the threat for life of Chechens in the territory of the Chechen Republic and Russia does not exist.

On the request to acquaint with this report, mister Haisman has referred that this document may be closed, and he is not ready to give it to Group.

"The Group of Movement" has offered Department to use in work on refugees from the Chechen Republic the annual proceedings and official reports of "Memorial", "Civil Assistance" and the International Amnesty, which will help to draw a correct conclusion on a situation in the Chechen Republic.

Then "The Group of Movement" has met the director of the Organization on the Help to Refugees (OHR) Martin Razumekom. Lawyers from this organization are engaged in legal protection of refugees and write the appeal in court, in case of the negative decision of authorities on inquiry for asylum.

- The Czech authorities are careful to give a political asylum to the too large, in their opinion, ethnic group, are afraid, that it will stimulate the increase of this group due to new refugees, - says Marin. - And Chechens are not so interested in remaining in Czechia, which became a transit zone for this group of refugees.

"The Group of Movement" has asked to explain, why is it very difficult for Chechen refugees to achieve the status today when many Chechens have understood, that in connection with new migratory laws they should remain in Czechia? In the centres for refugees, there are families, which more than a year have been waiting for the decision.

- Czechia gives refugees from the Chechen Republic an opportunity to live in the territory, according to 91 paragraph of the Law on asylum. In our country, their lives are not under threat, and we think, that in relation to Chechens Czechia carries out its human mission.

91-th paragraph is the same model of "tolerant card" in Poland due to which the refugee loses the minimal social protection and finds itself in the street with the single right - to breathe in this country.

Thus, such impression is created, that the Czech migratory services and even those organizations which have destination to protect refugees, intentionally refuse the Chechen refugees or ungroundedly drag out the procedure of inquiry, locating them in the centers for the reception of refugees, indirectly pushing them to illegal actions - to attempts to break the border.

Next day "The Group of Movement" visited the center on reception of refugees Kostelets above the Eagles that is situated in 120 kilometers far from Prague. In concordance with Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Group managed to pass on the territory of the centre and visit the Chechen refugees in their rooms.

The camp is situated in the territory of former Soviet military unit and Chechens are living in barracks, eating in a soldier's dining room. "Lenin's room" is converted into "television one". But nobody watches highly fastened the oldest TV set on wall also the Chechen girls have decided to organize here dancing group. Mums have sewed costumes, daddies have got the antediluvian tape recorder and the holiday for all has turned out. These walls for the first time have met with "captives", able to create pleasure to themselves and associates.   

Family Dzhanhotov have been in Czechia for two years, they have received a negative, have appealed against this decision of authorities and hope to find an asylum.

- We do not want to go from here anywhere, we ask asylum in this country, our children all of them speak - Czech, and they have friends among Czech children. If we are again rejected, it will be tragedy for our children.

- When we for the first time came here, here were up to 400 Chechens. Almost all of them have left, never having waited for the status, father of 4 children Ablulvaganov Khusein tells. - we have been waiting for 2 years. Recently we have received 91-st paragraph on which we should abandon camp. We have appealed against this decision of authorities, otherwise where should we go? Children study perfectly, two daughters go in for judo, they have got already yellow belts. And younger draws, at school they consider, that she has talent.

- Lawyers who are working on our files have not won any proceeding, - adds Magomadova Luiza.-they frankly tell us: your business will not be promoted; it does not depend on diligence of the lawyer. We are simply pushed out from the country, provoking on infringement of border. However, we try not to give in; we hope to wait for the positive decision.

On walls of a room where inhabitants of the center have gathered, are pasted a sheet of paper with the Czech and English words, it is the original self-instruction manual of language. The employee of camp, having seen in it something unusual to refugees, has told: "You are going the west anyway!"

At parting girls organize a small concert of the Chechen dance in "leninke" the former Soviet military unit. They are applauded with all the heart by Chinese, Indians, Nepalese completely not understanding what these children have overcome here, in the country which does not recognize them as refugees.

The following meeting of "Group of Movement" was held in a small village Zastavka, where the Chechen families, which have received the humanitarian status through illness, are living in a social hostel.

In a small room where two beds and a dresser hardly are located, Zurab's family consisting of 6 persons are living. One of his children - is invalid since the childhood, and due to this sad fact the family has received the humanitarian status. In the next room lives Akhmed and Keda with small Amir. Akhmed has lost sight, but yet has not received physical inability and consequently may not be placed in school for blind, which in addition is situated only in 25 kilometers far from here, town Brno. For these families there is no program of integration and in this village, it is very difficult to find occupation. Lawyers say: you are lucky beggars, have received the humanitarian status, not all invalids "are lucky".       

The Chechen refugees in Czechia consider, that they here might get accustomed, they like a climate, goodwill of Czechs, and language is more understandable, if only officials have treated them as people really looking for and requiring an asylum.

Not so may are they in Czechia, but authorities, unfortunately, are not interested in granting of asylum them and in their further integration.

November 21 the meeting of "Group of Movement" with North-Caucasian edition radio "Freedom" was held, where members of Group have proposed to start campaign of wide information illumination of Chechen refugees' problem in Europe, and have replied to journalists. The first information about the results of researches of "The Group of Movement" has already appeared on a tape «News.ru», and telechannel "Al-Jazira" got interested in a situation with the Chechen refugees in Slovakia.

"The Group of Movement" also has met with the authority of Chechen diaspora in Czechia. The vice-president of Association of refugees’ professor Baudin Kadiev has told about the life of diaspora in this country and expressed readiness for interaction with Group and support of the initiatives directed on improvement of situation and the help in integration of the Chechen refugees in Czechia.

On trips on camps of refugees, meetings with the Czech authorities and the non-governmental organizations took part known right protector Miriam Evikova who had been kidnapped on Northern Caucasus and recently released. Miriam Evikova has come in "Group of Movement" and is going to be engaged in a theme of integration of the Chechen refugees in Czechia and Slovakia under projects of Group.

The press-service of Department on communications with vainakh diaspora

CHECHENPRESS, The Department of the official information, 01.12.05
http://chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2005/12/01/03.shtml


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