Late on June 22 2001, the Administration of the President of the RF
received a statement from the Democratic Assembly on the inadmissibility of the forced return of refugees to Chechnya.

The document was addressed to President Vladimir Putin. The participants of the Assembly commissioned Grigory Yavlinsky with the task of informing the President about the position of the Assembly.

The first meeting of the Democratic Assembly, held in Moscow on 19,
2001, joined together the representatives of 22 parties, movements and non-political organisations.

The statement indicates that the Assembly “unanimously expresses its deepest concern over the situation with residents of the Chechen republic who had to leave its territory.”

The statement adds: “The All-Russia Democratic Assembly considers a forced return of the refugees to the Chechen Republic categorically inadmissible, as at present none of Chechnya can be considered safe, and calls for a halt to the pressure on refugees to make them return.”

The document continues: “It is the clear duty of the government to provide refugee camps with everything required by people to live there.” The participants of the assembly are convinced that “the state should also undertake to provide targeted assistance, which would enable the citizens forced to leave the Chechen Republic to independently resolve the problem of a safe settlement in our country.”

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

Information on the All-Russia Democratic Assembly

The All-Russia Democratic Assembly. Statement, Moscow, June 19, 2001

"Democratic coalition" section of the web-site