Nine Years as “Hostages” in Georgia’s Pankisi Valley (Part I)

 
Chechen refugees are offered to integrate in Georgia; however the refugees cannot see a future in Georgia ….

By August of 2007 1,097 Chechen refugees were officially registered in Georgia. They were settled in communal housing conditions dorm like facilities in the villages of Pankisi Valle, especially after the Second Chechen War in 1999. Some of the families were taken in and sheltered by Kist locals (Chechens who have lived on Georgian territory for the last 200 years, but others, less fortunate families have lived and continue to live all crowded in one room accommodations in various buildings.  Conditions they fact are often very difficult: social economic and political.

Pankisi Chechen refugees see their condition as both one of being refugees and captives to a system at the same time. They have become virtual hostages; they are unable use their refugee status to start out new lives in other countries.  International Organizations and many Diplomatic Missions have assisted these people. However, in many instances the promised help has been but empty promises. Chechen refugees cannot leave Georgia because they do not have the necessary travel documents for resettlement. Moreover, there is little if any work in Pankisi, not even for local Kists. The situation that the refugees face provides little if any opportunity for local integration, and they are not looking for employment in the valley, as it does not simply does not exist.

Duisi is one of the largest village in the Pankisi Valley is different from other Georgian villages as it is populated by many Chechen refugees. Conditions are dire for those living in one room accommodation.  These people have been carrying water from the yard for the last nine years, as there is no inside plumbing. However, we will discuss pressing social problems a bit later in this report ….

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The Human Rights Center visited the Pankisi Valley on the 12th of February and this was by invitation of the UN High Commissionaire for Refugees (UNHCR). They arranged meetings in the villages, especially the ones that are mostly inhabited by Chechen refugees. Representatives of the UNHCR also spoke about the future of the refugees. Much was said about the dire conditions that the refugees have been living. They are faced with the most difficult of circumstances, and already this situation has existed for many years and there is not end in sight.

Refugees were told that integration in Georgia is the only solution for now and that they should understand that only small number of them will be allowed to resettle to a third country.  As for option of repatriation in Chechnya, most of them do want to be sent back to their war torn homeland.

The meeting with the refugees was rather vocal at times a bit rowdy. One of the first remark made by a Chechen refugees: “You are poking fun at us.” and then the other remarks followed: “Refugees have been forced into prison” … “tell us whether we will survive but if not, please let us know that as well.” 

Such remarks immediately followed the comments of a UNHCR representative who had discussed travel documents a draft law concerning such documents was submitted to the Georgian Parliament and its current status.  Such documents are especially important for refugees are they are required for them to leave Georgia for other countries. However, refugees will not any right to remain in a foreign country. The refugees recalls how the former Minister of Refugees and Accommodation, had also made such promise to them, and like all the rest, these were empty and never fulfilled. 

Irakli Kokaia Georgian Representative of the Ministry of Refugee and Accommodation then explained that discussion over the draft law had to be postponed in the parliament because of political protests in Tbilisi and all the unexpected events related to the subsequent dispersal of the unruly crowd back on November 7, 2007.

The refugees then asked quite logic questions as what will happen with them if they are naturalized as Georgian citizens. One of the refugees said:

Alisultanov Solsbeg, a Chechen refugee: “I am not against being naturalized because I cannot return to my homeland anyway, and it does not make any difference for me, as when I first arrived in Georgia I applied to become a citizen and that request was refused. However, nobody gave me a reason as why my request was refused. But now, let’s say that if I would get naturalized … and then what? Shall I continue living the same life with my family, and the only difference to be a Georgian citizen? I have three children and we continue to live in a dormitory.”

“If a state grants me with the citizenship it should also guarantee a life worth living here. I should also receive a plot of land to plant some fruit-trees and be provided with some kind of job. However, even locals cannot find employment. They too are coping with the same difficult social conditions that we are facing.  Women and men are doing the same hard work. They gather, cut and sell firewood, and even to do this it is necessary for the Georgian government to give us official permission. People must be provided with a license to cut wood. Even to do this kind of work takes money, you need to buy fuel and organize transport of what is cut in the forest. We do not even have the vehicles and even if we had transport, 70 liters of petrol would be needed to haul the firewood from the forest. I would also have to pay for a helper, and when it was all done, after all the expenses counted, I would be left with perhaps a mere 30 GEL, and after all that  hard work. I have three children and a wife to feed. How can I keep them on such an amount?”

Generally, it was obvious that Chechen refugees are not trusting in their guests and demonstrated some belligerent attitudes towards them. “You have promised us lots of things but it all your promises have gone unfilled. We have already spent the last nine years here. The government has not assisted us whatsoever out of eight years of that time. They only started to distribute 14 lari allowances and that only was last January,” a Chechen woman mentions and she was hard pressed in holding her anger back.

Anna Bartis, Associate Protection Officer, UNHCRI, explained why the refugees are so untrusting. She told how so many people and organizations that have meet Chechens and than made various promises to them and the promises went unfulfilled. Such people soon forget the promises that they made.” 

She added, “It is an important problem, and now refugees have become tired of waiting. Another problem is their wish to be resettled and they do not think that can be arranged from Georgia.  Local Kists have succeeded because they do not seek resettlement.”

Ana Bartis told how state aid to refugees is not enough; so they are assisting them too. “Problems of local refugees are not urgent for the government because Georgia has a lot of IDPs of its own from Abkhazia and South Ossetia (two conflict zones). I think the principal issue is that the Georgian authority is doing its best to assist these people. Legislative initiatives are very important too; the refugees received temporary residence cards and it is very important step. So, if we compare current situation with the situation 6 years ago, we can see how some serious progress has been made.”

Christoth Bierwirth, The Head of the Legal Department of the UNHCR, stated at the meeting “that money assistance will be provided for the next 2-3 years. Afterwards, the government will have the responsibility of aiding Chechens. Or projects should be prepared and grants from various organizations.”

In terms of the first option, Tamaz Baghakashvili, representative of the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, said: “As for the allowance, nothing has been settled yet. Currently the government assists these people as it does it own IDPs. They have accommodation and receive allowance of 14 lari per month.  I think that unless other kinds of program are initiated in the nearest future, then we will be unable to pay more.”

Bela Mazaeva, a Chechen refugee, spoke about the lack of reality of the second variant. “People do not believe in the future and they do not want to begin work. Only refugees are going to be able to take part in the project.”

The family of Bela Mazaeva wanted to take part in the program for Social Assistance but could not and she explains:

“We applied to the chairperson of the agency but he could not include us on the list until the Akhmeta District Government granted us with the corresponding right. We met the governor and he said it was no problem but we had to apply to the village governor. However, we were refused for the second time at the village level. The village leader said he could not insert us on the list because we were strangers. We still do not know to whom to apply.”

It is also obvious that Chechen refugees are experiencing problems with access and paying for medical treatment. One of the refugees, Anzor Gaurgashvili retold us his story. He said that he had to borrow money while making almost every operation; though officially “TAG” – an international organization that is responsible for providing healthcare for refugees.”

“Doctors from the TAG organization initially refused to operate me when I first needed the operation. I was able to learn that relatives of the TAG administration were operated on instead of Chechen refugees who were really in need of help.  There were cases when a refugee, in order to show a sign respect or gratitude, personally offered to provide various documents in order that others would receive specific benefits. It is understandable that such events may have involved forms of criminal activities.”

“I was only operated on a month later and afterwards when  I asked the TAG program to provide me with at least some bandages or dressings. They only replied how they had cured me from osteochondrosis and that they could nothing more for me. I told them I had been operated upon a month ago and it was paid for with my own money, and that nobody had even attempted to treat my spinal condition.”

“They earn just too much money with such speculations as I described.  I informed several lawyers the administration of the TAG about various violations. I even wrote to them about it, and enclosed a document providing exact information when and what medical treatment I had received for my health complications. The only request that I made to the UN Offices in Tbilisi and Akhmeta was to open a medical file about my health conditions. However, they refused and told instead that my situation had existed for the last eight years. One would think that I was asking them to open the files of the Pentagon or the FBI. It just the simple the case of  a single refugee wanting to have a medical file about his health conditions, and to be certain that his treatment is being properly recorded.”

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We decided to visit dormitories where refugees have been living for so many years after the meeting to see for ourselves the difficulties that they still faced.  They are living under most difficult of circumstances and it is early to understand why the see no way out from such a dismal plight.

 Part II

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