Meskhetians in Krasnodar Territory
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 17:21:04 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: Meskhetians in Krasnodar Territory
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Original sender: Alexander Ossipov <[email protected]>
Meskhetians in Krasnodar Territory
I cannot but react to Eldar Zeinalov's and Arthur Martirosyan's
comments on the last news on the Meskhetian's problems. I
completely agree with Eldar: the situation is critical, the Krasnodar
authorities supported by the federal government are going to launch
a 'creeping' ethnic cleansing. An international campaign is the only
thing which can prevent the tragedy.
It seems to me that Arthur Martirosyan confuses at least two
different things. The problem of the Meskhetian rights in Krasnodar
should not be substituted for the talks about any perspectives of their
'return' to Georgia. The Meskhetians were deprived of the civil rights in
Krasnodar because the federal laws were violated by the regional
authorities and not because anybody demanded any shift to Georgia.
1. Certainly, the key programme goal of the 'Vatan' society is the
'repartiation' to southern Georgia, and most of the Meshhetians
sympathize with it. Anyway, they are not mentally disabled, I swear,
they (I mean hundreds of them whom I manage to talk with) clearly
understand, that the desired shift to southern Georgia, if it occurs, is
the agenda for decades, the subject for long negotiations, establishing
mechanisms and guarantees etc. Anyway, there are around 60,000 -
70,000 Meskhetians in Russia, they are Russian citizens, who
(except for 13,500 in Krasnodar and around 700 in Kabardino-Balkaria)
benefit from the constitutional rights and freedoms. More than 90,000
Meskhetians in Kazakhstan are citizens of Kazakhstan, 15,000 in
Uzbekistan - of Uzbekistan, 5,000 in Ukraine - of Ukraine etc. It is not
an obstacle for migration to Georgia if it ever occurs. The Krasnodar
authorities used the Meskhetians orientation on 'repatriation' as one
(but not a single) pretext of depriving them of their rights. I think, we
should not follow the Krasnodar authorities.
2. The same for the Meskhetian emigration to Turkey. Anyway, it is
not a solution. Why Meskhetians should go to Turkey which is an
alien country for them? The overwhelming majority does not
demostrate any desire to go there. There were no agrements between
Turkey and RF on this matter. In July 1992 the Turkish Parliament
adopted a framework law on the Meskhetian immigration. It did not
establish any mechanism of immigration and needed additional
governmental decrees. Not more than 150 Meskhetian families used
this opportunity in 1993-94, and then the process was ceased by
the Turkish authorities.
3. One can hardly say that the Gorbachev government really supported
the Meskhetian repatriation. There was a general rhetoric in favour of
'historical justice', but neither the Soviet nor the Russian leaders ever
tried to press the Georgian authorities in the Meskhetian case. There
have never been any 'green light' for Meskhetian repatriation, though
the Georgian authorities for decades declares their willingness to
solve the problem. Anyway, one should not overestimate the
importance of external manipulations. By the way, not more than
40-50 Meskhetian households were settled in the Upper Karabakh.
The rest 60,000 Turkish refugees lived in the other regions of
Azerbaijan.
4. Anyway, I agree that we should be very cautious when thinking
about support for any demand for 'historical justice'. In this case like
in any similar one I would in principle refrain from any direct or
indirect standing for 'collective rights', 'people's rights', 'historical
justice', 'the right to homeland' and all that stuff. But this is not a key
point of the situation.
5. The main problem is human rights violation in Krasnodar Territory
and discrimination on ethnic ground and starting soft ethnic cleansing.
The Meskhetians are Russian citizens in accordance with the federal
law on citizenship. Their citizenship, basic civil, political and social
rights arbitrary were not recognised by the regional authorities. The
regional authorities not only refuse to protect minorities including
Turks from hate speech and violent actions of some extremist groups,
but encourage the latter. The federal government directly and indirectly
supports politics of this kind. This is the problem. The rest is not
important.
I attach to this message the 'Memorial' newsletter dated the beginning
of December. The situation has not changed within the last three
months and the contents are stiil up-to-date. Another attachment is
the 'Memorial' report on the situation in Russia, submitted to the
March session of CERD.
Sincerely,
Sasha Ossipov,
The Memorial Human Rights Centre,
programme officer
-------------------
(Moderator adds: I will forward the attached documents mentioned
above to the list a bit later, for they require some re-formatting. Sorry
for this delay. I can't say at the moment what is the real size of these
documents. Anyway, as always - everybody who would like to
receive the full texts of the documents mentioned above, please, let
me know. Boris).
--
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