Russia: Treatment of ethnic Ossetians
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 7 April 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS34177.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Treatment of ethnic Ossetians, 7 April 2000, RUS34177.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad77ac.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No information on the treatment of ethnic Ossetians further to RUS31750.E of 23 April 1999 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, a 17 September 1999 UPI report states that the Russian authorities have blamed terrorists from the North Caucasus for a series of explosions that killed more than 300 people in Moscow and other cities in Russia and that Caucasians, including those from Chechnya, Dagestan, Ossetia and Azerbaijan could be targeted in reprisal. The report also states that many of them felt the hostility of Russians who associated all Caucasians with the Chechens.
A 23 September 1999 RFE/RL report states that authorities in Moscow were cracking down on Chechens and other Caucasians in response to apartment bombings which were widely blamed on Chechen terrorists. Following the explosions, Mowcow Major Yuri Luzhkov responded by ordering the expulsion of non-registered Moscow residents (ibid.). The expulsion order applied to all ethnic groups but, according to human rights organizations, it aimed specifically at people from the Caucasus, especially Chechens. Although this measure was declared illegal, many Moscovites supported the move "to close off the capital to those they see as undesirable" (ibid.).
An 18 October 1999 Time Magazine articles states that:
A recent poll showed that nearly 75% of all Muscovites believe that too many Chechens live in the city, and 90% favor deporting all illegal immigrants. Anti-Caucasian prejudices are shared by most Slavic Russians, who routinely speak of Chechens and Dagestanis as "scum" and "criminals." Such biases are not confined to the disaffected working class. Professor Alexander Umnov, a respected authority on Oriental Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, puts a scholarly gloss on the historical enmity between Caucasians and Russians. "Unlike us," he explains, "they understand and respect only the language of force. This is the only mode of action compatible with
A 23 September 1999 RFE/RL Newsline reports states that other cities in Russia, including the cities of Krasnoyarsk and Volgograd, followed suit and applied the same policy.
For information on the situation of Ossetians in Northern Ossetia, please refer to
RUS33524 of 26 January 2000.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 23 September 2000. Sophie Lambroschini. "Russia: Public Supports Moscow's Measures Against Caucasians."
_____ Newsline. 23 September 1999. Anatolii Kovler. "Moscow's 'Operation Foreigner' Deemed Illegal
As More Localities Adopt Capital's Methods."
Time [New York]. 18 October 1999. Paul Quinn-Judge and Yuri Zarakhovich. "Easy Targets." < http://www.time.com/time/magazine/articles/intl/0,3266,33656-2,00.html> [Accessed: 6 Apr. 2000]
United Press International (UPI). 17 September 1999. BC Cycle. Anthony Louis. "Blasts Put Pressure on Moscow Chechens." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB databases
Internet sources, including:
Country Reports 1999
Federation Internationale des droits de l'homme (FIDH)
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF)
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LHCR)
The Russia Journal
Russia Today
World News Connection (WNC)
