From: MSN Nicknamelove_caucasus (Original Message) Sent: 1/14/2007 7:25 PM
Chechens in Paris: bureaucratic odyssey
Far from the conflict-torn Caucasus, we meet the Chechnya Committee in
Paris, who won’t allow a forgotten war to be erased from the European memory
A cold December evening in Paris. The Chechnya Committee is bursting
with activity in their headquarters, not far from the Place de la
Nation. In the association's small office, a poster is stuck on a wall,
in front of a line of old seats filling up the space in the waiting
room. It reads 'Terror there, silence here'. 'Terror' is the continuing
violence, including that raging between civilians, caused by Russian
aggression in the Caucasus' rebel republic. 'Silence' signifies the
almost non-existent coverage of this war by the European press. You can
only gain access to this region with special permits or through
'Lastrjembski tour' visits, organised by the communication department of
the pro-Russian Chechen government. (*)
Displaced even in Poland
The Chechnya Committee has been active in France since 1994. Their
mission is to 'raise awareness amongst the authorities and the public
about the Chechen war, especially concerning the cruel assymetry between
the power of the Russian army and the indefense of the civil
population,' according to Committee member Martin Rosselot.
The association – the majority of whose members are French, as the
Chechens fear retaliation for those families who are still in the zone -
also support Chechens living in France. Those receiving asylum have to
go through an extenuating bureaucracy marathon in the land of human
rights, and certainly need the help. Common legislation resends the
asylum-seeker to the first European country in which they set foot when
they fled Chechnya. At the very least, this includes Slovakia, the Czech
Republic and Poland.
Here matters are more prickly. For Rosselot, ‘the Chechens don’t want to
stay in Poland because they worry it is too close to Russia. They are
frightened for their safety, of ending up in the hands of Russian spies.
Another disadvantage in Poland is the bleak hope of gaining refugee
status – only 8% of applicants are successful, in comparison to 20% in
France’. And whilst they wait to see whether they will be resent to the
East or whether they can find official refuge in France, the Chechens
are not entitled to any aid. Nor can they get any regular work.
Politkovskaya’s courage
Those who do manage to gain a status have to begin from zero without the
language capabilities, a roof or a job. Many Chechens here in Place de
la Nation think that a journey back home is impossible, at least not now.
How do they see the situation in Chechnya? The Committee has notes more
and more pessimism amongst Chechens. Independence from Moscow remains a
goal, but negotiation is impossible with Putin in power and a weaker
opposition to the Russians, as the political murder of Chechen war
reporter Anna Politkovskaya grimly showed.
Rosselot is no less critical of Europe, who he blames for a
‘hypocritical attitude in recognising Chechens as asylum-seekers and
without a doubt, for their meek efforts in finding a political solution
to the conflict, such as vaguely pressurising Russia diplomatically. The
only exception, after the 2002(*) bloody siege of Grozny, capital of the
Chechen Republic, was when the European Council suspended some
provisions in the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The final word
goes to the figures, and the estimated 50, 000 – 100, 000 victims who
have lost their lives since 1991.
Giulia Lasagni - Paris - 14.1.2007 | Translation : Nabeelah Shabbir
http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=T&Id=9571
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