Acting Minister Says Alleged Chechen Militants Have no Refugee Status

(Tbilisi. March 10, 2003. Civil Georgia) – At the trial of three alleged Chechen militants, wanted by Russia, Acting Minister of the Refugees and Accommodation Otar Keinishvili informed the court that the militant suspects have no refugee identification cards.

The three Chechens were among a group of 13 armed men detained last August by the Georgian border guards after illegally crossing the border from Russia into Georgia in possession of arms. Their five companions were extradited to Russia last October.

The Georgian Prosecutor-General’s Office approved Moscow’s extradition request for the three men last November, but their lawyers challenged the legality of that ruling.

The lawyers claim that two of them, Gelogaev and Alkhanov have a refugee IDs granted by the Georgian Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation, thus their extradition would be illegal.

“Alkhanov had a refugee ID till 2000, but due to evading a registration of Chechen refugees [living in Georgia’s Pankisi gorge] last April, he was not granted the refugee ID,” Keinishvili said.

He also said that Gelogaev had a refugee ID, “but the Ministry of Refugees and Accommodation deprived him a refugee status last November after the request of the Georgian Interior Ministry.”

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