Chechen refugees
Encyclopedia
During the inter-ethnic strife in Chechnya
and the two separatist First
and Second Chechen War
s, hundreds of thousands of Chechen refugees have left their homes and left the republic for elsewhere in Russia and abroad.
population of 300,000 (mostly Russians
, but also Armenians
, Ingush
, Georgians
, Ukrainians
and many more) who had left the republic in the early 1990s and as of 2008 never returned.
Many ethnic Chechens
have also moved to Moscow and other Russian cities. According to the 2008 study by the Norwegian Refugee Council
, some 139,000 Chechens remained displaced in the Russian Federation.
, at the peak of the refugee crisis after the start of the Second Chechen War
in 2000, estimated 240,000 refugees almost doubled the Ingushetia's pre-war population of 300,000 (350,000 including the refugees from the Ingush-Ossetian conflict) and resulting in an epidemy of tuberculosis
. Estimated 325,000 was the total number of people that have entered Ingushetia as refugees in the first year of the Second Chechen War
. Some 185,000 were in the republic already by November 1999 and 215,000 lived in Ingushetia by June 2000. In October 1999 the border with Ingushetia was closed down by the Russian military and a refugee convoy bombed
after being turned away.
Thousands of them were pressured to return by the Russian military already in December 1999, and the refugee camp
s were forcibly closed after 2001 by the new Chechen government of President Akhmad Kadyrov
and the new Ingush government of President Murat Zyazikov
. About 180,000 Chechens remained in Ingushetia by February 2002 and 150,000 by June 2002, most of them housed in a "tent city
" camps, abandoned farm
s and factories
and disused train
s, or living with sympathetic families. As of early 2007, less than 20,000 Chechens remained in Ingushetia and many of them were expected to integrate
locally rather than return to Chechnya.
s (IDP) within Chechnya, most of whom live in substandard housing and poverty
. All official IDP centers in the republic were closed down and the foreign NGO aid severely limited by the government (including the ban of the Danish Refugee Council
).
as the leaders of Chechnya (indeed, Chechen refugees indicated that they feared Chechen security forces more than Russian troops). Another explanation is that after a decade of war and lawlessness, many Chechens have given up hope of ever rebuilding a normal life at home and instead try to start a new life in exile
.
in the European Union
(EU), according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
, making them the largest group of new refugees arriving in developed nations. According to unofficial reports from January 2008, the number of Chechens in Europe may reach 70,000. According to another estimate from March 2009, there were some 130,000 Chechen refugees in Europe, including former fighters. In September 2009 Kadyrov said that Chechnya would open representative offices in Europe in an attempt to convince the Chechen migrant communities living there to return to their homeland.
Austria Austria granted asylum rights to more than 2,000 Chechen refugees in 2007, bringing the total number to 17,000 in January 2008, the largest diaspora in Europe. In January, 2008, Jörg Haider
, a far right
governor of Carinthia
, called for a moratorium on giving them asylum blaming some already there for violence and sex crimes.
Belgium As of early 2008, some 7,000-10,000 Chechens live in Belgium, many of them in Aarschot
. At least 2,000 of them were granted political asylum in 2003.
Czech Republic In 2003, refugee camps in the Czech Republic
were said to be "overhelmed" due to an overwhelming number of Chechen refugees.
Denmark As of 2009, Denmark is one of the six countries in Europe with the biggest Chechen disasporas.
Early Modern France As of early 2008, about 10,000 Chechens live in France. The largest Chechen communities in France exist in Nice
(where there were reports of sharp conflict with the immigrants from North Africa), Strasbourg
and Paris (the home of the Chechen-French Center). Chechens also live in Orléans
, Le Mans
, Besançon
, Montpelier
, Toulouse
and Tours
. As of 2008, thousands more are trying to get to France from Poland.
Germany As of early 2008, approximately 10,000 Chechens live in Germany.
Poland In Poland, almost 3,600 Chechens have applied for refugee
status in the first eight months of 2007 alone and over 6,000 in the next four months. As of 2008, the Chechens are the greatest group (90% in 2007) of refugees arriving in Poland, on the eastern border of the EU.
Spain Spain has granted hundreds of Chechen families asylum since 1999.
United Kingdom In the United Kingdom there is a large number of Chechen refugees. Some of them wanted by Russia but the UK government refuses to extradite them on grounds of concern for human rights
. Some of the original Chechen separatist government figures relocated to the UK.
Thousands of others settled in the other EU countries, such as Sweden or Finland.
Azerbaijan Of 12,000 Chechen refugees who arrived in Azerbaijan
, most moved on to Europe later (leaving some 5,000 in 2003 and 2,000 in 2007).
Canada As of early 2008, several hundred people live in the Canadian
community.
Georgia (country) Of some 4,000 Chechens who have sought safety in neighbouring Georgia
, the majority have settled in Pankisi Gorge
and over 1,1000 registered refugees remain there as of 2008.
Iran Due to a historical bond with Persia, an unknown but substantial number of Chechens live in Iran
, often in communities by the former USSR-Iran border and along the Caspian Sea
.
Iraq has a long history of Chechen settlement, currently threatened under the instability of Iraq after the U.S. invasion.
Turkey Some 3,000 to 4,000 Chechens arrived in Turkey
, of which most also moved on further, but as of 2005 some 1,500 stayed. Many of the Chechen refugees in Turkey are yet to be given official refugee status by the Turkish government, without this status they will be unable to legally attend school or have jobs.
Ukraine is the main transit country for Chechen refugees traveling to Europe (some others travel through Belarus
). There is also a small number of Chechens settled in Crimea
. The election of Yakunovich has been very bad for Chechens- since he was elected he has begun harassing the Chechen refugee settlements through police raids and sudden deportations, sometimes even separating families.
United Arab Emirates As of early 2008, some 2,000-3,000 refugees live in the United Arab Emirates
.
United States A small, but growing Chechen community exists in the United States, in particular in Los Angeles and throughout California
.
Both Azerbaijan and Georgia have extradited
some Chechen refugees to Russia in violation of their obligations under international law
. The European Court of Human Rights
has ruled that Georgia violated their rights.
During the 2008 South Ossetia war
, many of more than 1,000 Chechen refugees in Pankisi Gorge fled towards Turkey along with their Georgian neighbours.
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and the two separatist First
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
and Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
s, hundreds of thousands of Chechen refugees have left their homes and left the republic for elsewhere in Russia and abroad.
In Russia
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reports that hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes in Chechnya since 1990. This included majority of Chechnya non-ChechenChechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
population of 300,000 (mostly Russians
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
, but also Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, Ingush
Ingush people
The Ingush are a native ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai . The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language...
, Georgians
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
, Ukrainians
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
and many more) who had left the republic in the early 1990s and as of 2008 never returned.
Many ethnic Chechens
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
have also moved to Moscow and other Russian cities. According to the 2008 study by the Norwegian Refugee Council
Norwegian Refugee Council
The Norwegian Refugee Council is an independent, humanitarian non-governmental organisation which provides assistance, protection and durable solutions to refugees, internally displaced persons, and returnees worldwide. NRC promotes and protects the rights of people who have been forced to flee...
, some 139,000 Chechens remained displaced in the Russian Federation.
Ingushetia
In the nearby republic of IngushetiaIngushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
, at the peak of the refugee crisis after the start of the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
in 2000, estimated 240,000 refugees almost doubled the Ingushetia's pre-war population of 300,000 (350,000 including the refugees from the Ingush-Ossetian conflict) and resulting in an epidemy of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Estimated 325,000 was the total number of people that have entered Ingushetia as refugees in the first year of the Second Chechen War
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War, in a later phase better known as the War in the North Caucasus, was launched by the Russian Federation starting 26 August 1999, in response to the Invasion of Dagestan by the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade ....
. Some 185,000 were in the republic already by November 1999 and 215,000 lived in Ingushetia by June 2000. In October 1999 the border with Ingushetia was closed down by the Russian military and a refugee convoy bombed
Baku-Rostov highway bombing
The Baku-Rostov highway bombing was an incident which occurred on near the village of Shaami-Yurt in Chechnya, on October 29, 1999. Two low-flying Russian attack aircraft carried out repeated rocket attacks on a large convoy of refugees trying to enter the Russian republic of Ingushetia using a...
after being turned away.
Thousands of them were pressured to return by the Russian military already in December 1999, and the refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
s were forcibly closed after 2001 by the new Chechen government of President Akhmad Kadyrov
Akhmad Kadyrov
Hajji Akhmad Abdulkhamidovich Kadyrov , also spelled Akhmat, was the Chief Mufti of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in the 1990s during and after the First Chechen War...
and the new Ingush government of President Murat Zyazikov
Murat Zyazikov
Murat Magometovich Zyazikov is the former president of the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. He was born in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Zyazikov was a controversial politician in Ingushetia.- Political Career :...
. About 180,000 Chechens remained in Ingushetia by February 2002 and 150,000 by June 2002, most of them housed in a "tent city
Tent City
A tent city is a temporary housing facility made using tents. Informal tent cities may be set up without authorization by homeless people or protesters. As well, state governments or military organizations set up tent cities to house refugees, evacuees, or soldiers...
" camps, abandoned farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s and factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
and disused train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s, or living with sympathetic families. As of early 2007, less than 20,000 Chechens remained in Ingushetia and many of them were expected to integrate
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
locally rather than return to Chechnya.
Chechnya
As of 2006, more than 100,000 people remain internally displaced personInternally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...
s (IDP) within Chechnya, most of whom live in substandard housing and poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. All official IDP centers in the republic were closed down and the foreign NGO aid severely limited by the government (including the ban of the Danish Refugee Council
Danish Refugee Council
Danish Refugee Council is a private Danish humanitarian organisation, founded in 1956. It serves as an umbrella organization for 33 member organizations....
).
Abroad
Since 2003 there is a sharp surge of Chechen asylum-seekers arriving abroad, at a time when major combat operations had largely ceased. One explanation is the process of "Chechenization", which empowered former separatists Ahmed Kadyrov and his son Ramzan KadyrovRamzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov is the President of Chechnya and a former Chechen rebel.Ramzan is a son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, assassinated in May 2004. In February 2007 Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as President, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post...
as the leaders of Chechnya (indeed, Chechen refugees indicated that they feared Chechen security forces more than Russian troops). Another explanation is that after a decade of war and lawlessness, many Chechens have given up hope of ever rebuilding a normal life at home and instead try to start a new life in exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
.
European Union
In 2003, some 33,000 Russian citizens (over 90% of them presumed to be Chechens) applied for asylumRefugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU), according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
, making them the largest group of new refugees arriving in developed nations. According to unofficial reports from January 2008, the number of Chechens in Europe may reach 70,000. According to another estimate from March 2009, there were some 130,000 Chechen refugees in Europe, including former fighters. In September 2009 Kadyrov said that Chechnya would open representative offices in Europe in an attempt to convince the Chechen migrant communities living there to return to their homeland.
Austria Austria granted asylum rights to more than 2,000 Chechen refugees in 2007, bringing the total number to 17,000 in January 2008, the largest diaspora in Europe. In January, 2008, Jörg HaiderJörg Haider
Jörg Haider was an Austrian politician. He was Governor of Carinthia on two occasions, the long-time leader of the Austrian Freedom Party and later Chairman of the Alliance for the Future of Austria , a breakaway party from the FPÖ.Haider was controversial within Austria and abroad for comments...
, a far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
governor of Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, called for a moratorium on giving them asylum blaming some already there for violence and sex crimes.
Belgium As of early 2008, some 7,000-10,000 Chechens live in Belgium, many of them in AarschotAarschot
Aarschot is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2006 Aarschot had a total population of 27,864...
. At least 2,000 of them were granted political asylum in 2003.
Czech Republic In 2003, refugee camps in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
were said to be "overhelmed" due to an overwhelming number of Chechen refugees.
Denmark As of 2009, Denmark is one of the six countries in Europe with the biggest Chechen disasporas. Early Modern France As of early 2008, about 10,000 Chechens live in France. The largest Chechen communities in France exist in NiceNice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
(where there were reports of sharp conflict with the immigrants from North Africa), Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
and Paris (the home of the Chechen-French Center). Chechens also live in Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, Montpelier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
. As of 2008, thousands more are trying to get to France from Poland.
Germany As of early 2008, approximately 10,000 Chechens live in Germany. Poland In Poland, almost 3,600 Chechens have applied for refugeeRefugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
status in the first eight months of 2007 alone and over 6,000 in the next four months. As of 2008, the Chechens are the greatest group (90% in 2007) of refugees arriving in Poland, on the eastern border of the EU.
Spain Spain has granted hundreds of Chechen families asylum since 1999. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom there is a large number of Chechen refugees. Some of them wanted by Russia but the UK government refuses to extradite them on grounds of concern for human rightsHuman rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Some of the original Chechen separatist government figures relocated to the UK.
Thousands of others settled in the other EU countries, such as Sweden or Finland.
Other countries
Azerbaijan Of 12,000 Chechen refugees who arrived in AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, most moved on to Europe later (leaving some 5,000 in 2003 and 2,000 in 2007).
Canada As of early 2008, several hundred people live in the CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
community.
Georgia (country) Of some 4,000 Chechens who have sought safety in neighbouring GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, the majority have settled in Pankisi Gorge
Pankisi Gorge
The Pankisi Gorge or Pankisi is a valley region in Georgia, in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering the Chechnyan republic of the Russian Federation. Administratively, it is included in the Akhmeta district of the Kakheti region...
and over 1,1000 registered refugees remain there as of 2008.
Iran Due to a historical bond with Persia, an unknown but substantial number of Chechens live in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, often in communities by the former USSR-Iran border and along the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.
Iraq has a long history of Chechen settlement, currently threatened under the instability of Iraq after the U.S. invasion. Turkey Some 3,000 to 4,000 Chechens arrived in TurkeyTurkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, of which most also moved on further, but as of 2005 some 1,500 stayed. Many of the Chechen refugees in Turkey are yet to be given official refugee status by the Turkish government, without this status they will be unable to legally attend school or have jobs.
Ukraine is the main transit country for Chechen refugees traveling to Europe (some others travel through BelarusBelarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
). There is also a small number of Chechens settled in Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. The election of Yakunovich has been very bad for Chechens- since he was elected he has begun harassing the Chechen refugee settlements through police raids and sudden deportations, sometimes even separating families.
United Arab Emirates As of early 2008, some 2,000-3,000 refugees live in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
.
United States A small, but growing Chechen community exists in the United States, in particular in Los Angeles and throughout CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Both Azerbaijan and Georgia have extradited
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
some Chechen refugees to Russia in violation of their obligations under international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. The European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
has ruled that Georgia violated their rights.
During the 2008 South Ossetia war
2008 South Ossetia war
The 2008 South Ossetia War or Russo-Georgian War was an armed conflict in August 2008 between Georgia on one side, and Russia and separatist governments of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on the other....
, many of more than 1,000 Chechen refugees in Pankisi Gorge fled towards Turkey along with their Georgian neighbours.
Chechen refugees and exiles
- Ilyas AkhmadovIlyas AkhmadovIlyas Khamzatovich Akhmadov served as the foreign minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. He currently resides in the United States, where he was granted political asylum.-Biography:...
- Khassan BaievKhassan BaievDr. Khassan Baiev is a Chechen-American trauma surgeon who upheld the Hippocratic oath to treat thousands of civilians and combatants on both sides of the First and Second Chechen Wars, including Russian soldiers and Chechen fighters....
- Albina Digaeva
- Murat GasayevMurat GasayevMurat Gasaev , an ethnic Chechen, was a refugee in Spain from the Russia's Republic of Ingushetia. In December 2008, he was extradited to Russia despite protests by human rights organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch...
- Umar IsrailovUmar IsrailovUmar S. Israilov was a former bodyguard of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov who became a critic of the Chechen regime...
- Mamed KhalidovMamed KhalidovMamed Khalidov is a Chechen-Polish mixed martial artist, competing in the Middleweight division of Polish MMA promotion KSW. Khalidov is currently undefeated in the promotion and holds the KSW Light Heavyweight Championship belt...
- Timur MucuraevTimur Mucuraev-External links: Digitized with audiocassettes albums in mp3 192 * * -References:...
- Milana TerloevaMilana TerloevaMilana Bakhaeva , also known by the pen name Milana Terloeva, is a Chechen journalist and author of the 2006 French language bestseller Danser sur les ruines. Une jeunesse tchétchène Milana Bakhaeva (born December 30, 1979 in Orekhovo, Chechnya), also known by the pen name Milana Terloeva, is a...
- Sulim YamadayevSulim YamadayevSulim Bekmirzayevich Yamadayev was a Chechen rebel commander from the First Chechen War who had switched sides together with his brothers Dzhabrail, Badrudi, Isa and Ruslan in 1999 during the outbreak of the Second Chechen War. He was de facto commander of the Russian military Special Battalion...
- Zelimkhan YandarbiyevZelimkhan YandarbiyevZelimkhan Abdumuslimovich Yandarbiyev was a Chechen writer and a politician, who served as acting president of the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria between 1996 and 1997...
- Akhmed ZakayevAkhmed ZakayevAkhmed Khalidovich Zakayev is the former Deputy Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , which is unrecognised by other countries...
See also
- Chechen diasporaChechen diasporaThe Chechen diaspora is a term used to collectively describe the communities of Chechen people who live outside of Chechnya; this includes Chechens who live in other parts of Russia.-Geography:...
- Muhajir (Caucasus)Muhajir (Caucasus)Circassians, the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Caucasus were cleansed from their homeland at the end of the Caucasian War by victorious Russia, which by its manner of suppression of the Caucasus directed at the Crimean Tartars and Circassians can be credited with "inventing the strategy of...
, the emigrationEmigrationEmigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
of MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
indigenous peoplesIndigenous peoplesIndigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
from the CaucasusCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
into the Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
following the Russian conquest during the 19th century.
External links
- Guidelines on the Treatment of Chechen IDPs, Asylum Seekers& Refugees in Europe, European Council on Refugees and ExilesEuropean Council on Refugees and ExilesThe European Council on Refugees and Exiles is a pan-European network of refugee-assisting non-governmental organisations that promotes a humane and generous European asylum policy...
- Georgia: UNHCR closely monitoring Chechen refugees' situation, United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesUnited Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
- Blasts in Chechen Capital Unleash New Wave of Refugees, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, October 23, 1999 - Chechen Refugees Fast to Decry War, The Associated Press, June 22, 2001
- The Plight of Chechen Refugees in Georgia, Islamic Human Rights CommissionIslamic Human Rights CommissionThe Islamic Human Rights Commission is a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is to, "... work with different organizations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of their racial, confessional or political background.". The group is...
, 17 June 2003 - The right not to return: the situation of displaced Chechens dispersed in the Russian Federation, Chechnya Advocacy NetworkChechnya Advocacy NetworkChechnya Advocacy Network is a United States-based non-government organization that conducts research, awareness, and advocacy on Chechnya and the Chechen people. It is the largest Chechnya-specific organization in North America. Its headquarters is located in New York City, with branch offices in...
, August 2003 - The Plight of Chechen Refugees revisited, Islamic Human Rights CommissionIslamic Human Rights CommissionThe Islamic Human Rights Commission is a non-profit organization. Its stated mission is to, "... work with different organizations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds, to campaign for justice for all peoples regardless of their racial, confessional or political background.". The group is...
, 21 March 2005 - Poland: Chechen Refugees Grateful for Protection but Need Integration Support, Refugees InternationalRefugees InternationalRefugees International is a humanitarian organization supporting refugees and stateless people. It publishes annual reports, as well as approximately twenty-five field reports throughout the year on refugee issues, as well as comments on international aid issues around the world...
, 12/06/2005 - Refugees and Diaspora, Chechnya Advocacy NetworkChechnya Advocacy NetworkChechnya Advocacy Network is a United States-based non-government organization that conducts research, awareness, and advocacy on Chechnya and the Chechen people. It is the largest Chechnya-specific organization in North America. Its headquarters is located in New York City, with branch offices in...
, 2007 - The burden of "Euro-tourism", Prague WatchdogPrague WatchdogPrague Watchdog was an English, Czech and Russian-language Prague-based on-line service that collected and disseminated information on the crisis in Chechnya and reporting on the conflict in the North Caucasus, focusing on human rights, humanitarian situation, media access and coverage, and the...
, September 14, 2009 (discussing the consequences of the Dublin Regulation for the refugees) - "Brothers, Bread and the Bosphorus", Al-Jazeera, May 13, 2010 (discussing the status of Chechens in Turkey's Bosphorus region)
- Chechnya Day, website run by Chechen diaspora as well as others aimed at raising awareness to the 'tragic and genocidal events' beginning on February 23, 1944, Aardakh.