The Ethnic War: Persecution of Chechens in the Russian Federation

The report is based on meetings with international organizations, Chechens residing in Moscow, refugees from Chechnya residing in Norway, international and Russian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other relevant individuals. The mission visited a total of ten camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ingushetiya in the areas of Nazran, Karabulak, Malgobek, Aki Yurt and Sleptsovsk.

During visits to both “organized” and “spontaneous” camps for IDPs, as well as to private apartments, the NHC was in touch with a large number of IDPs from Chechnya and interviewed around 20 of them. The names of the IDPs have been left out due to security concerns. The report does not concentrate on a geographical area or specific type of abuse, nor does it attempt to uncover all the details of a specific crime or incident, however, given that a substantial number of people were approached by us and interviewed separately, the information we received could be cross-checked with regard to the general outline of the events.

The NHC thus believes that this report gives a reliable general picture of the current situation in Chechnya and Ingushetiya, as well as an overview of the situation for Chechens in other parts of the Russian Federation.

Download the report here