DE FACTO STATELESS: HE MESKHETIAN TURKS
Abstract
This paper proposes to examine the present sociopolitical conditions of the Meskhetian Turks living in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. As an ethnic minority in a country that has seen a rise in levels of xenophobia and racism against “the other,” the Meskhetian Turks have survived primarily as squatters, having been denied basic human rights in a land they have inhabited for years. By a description of their history, their unique link to the territories they occupy, and the various forms of discrimination they face, I hope to prove that the Meskhetian Turks are, in fact, a de facto stateless group suffering from grave violations of freedom and survival inflicted by a majority population.
The plight of the Meskhetian Turks is a topic worthy of discussion today, not only because ethno-religious conflict levels have increased significantly the world over during the past few decades, but also because human rights abuses against vulnerable groups such as refugees, migrant workers, and “foreigners” have escalated at an alarming rate. The need for international legal and physical safeguards for the Meskhetian Turks must be emphasized—if the hardships faced by vulnerable sections of society are not examined and reported, the global community remains unaware of the gravity of such situations, and no international/national efforts can be made to intervene and prevent such abuse. One of the cornerstones of the international political framework is the belief that human rights should be protected everywhere, and that all humans have a right to dignity and freedom. This foundation is now being questioned, and criticism arises as to how nations and international organizations can talk of “cooperation” and “social and political advancement” if (many) such minority groups continue to be persecuted.
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Anti-revolutionary, reactionary, anti-Semitic groups formed in Russia during and after the Russian Revolution of 1905 (see: V.I. Lenin, Collected Works, Vol. 9, Transl. by A. Fineberg, J. Katzer, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1972,pp. 200-204).
Theory of Russian academic Lev Gumilev, author of Ancient Rus and the Great Steppe, The Rhythms of Eura-sia, and The Geography of Ethnos in Historical Time, in which he calls for a distinctive Russian “ethnos” based on the geographical region that is Eurasia (see: L.N. Gumilev, Ethnogenesis and the Biosphere, 1978, Chapter II, Part II, avail-able at [http://gumilevica.kulichki.net/English/ebe2a.htm]).
See: P. Groble, “Idel-Ural and the Future of Russia,” RFE/RL NewsLine, 17 May, 2000, available at [http://
ww.rferl.org/newsline/]).
See: V. Tolz, Russia: Inventing the Nation, Oxford University Press, New York, 2001.
The Akhaltsikhe area includes five administrative regions bordering the territory of Turkey—Adigheni, Akhaltsikhe,Aspindza, Akhalkalaki and Bogdanovka (Ninotsminda from 1991) (see: A. Aydingün, “Ahiska (Meskhetian) Turks: Source of Conflict in the Caucasus?” International Journal of Human Rights, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2002, pp. 49-64.
A. Ossipov, The Situation and Legal Status of Meskhetian Turks in the Russian Federation, Moscow Helsinki Group,2003, p. 2.
In 1992, the Russian constitution directly guaranteed its citizens’ right to travel freely and to choose their place of residence, and in 1993, a federal law was approved on the notifying order of registration of residence and stay.
See: A. Ossipov, “Starting Ethnic Cleansing in Krasnodar Territory: The Case of the Meskhetian Turks,” Memo-rial Newsletter, No. 1, 20 September, 1997, available at [http://www.memo.ru/hr/discrim/ethnic/ip1e.htm#_VPID_46].
See: Resolution No. 97 of the Territorial Small Soviet “On Measures to Ease Tension in Interethnic Relations in the Crimea and Some Other Districts of the Krasnodar Territory” of 12 February, 1992, Moscow Helsinki Watch, availa-ble at [http://www.mhg.ru/english/1FD0794].
In early 1994, as a result of the order issued by the Apsheronsk and Krymsk regions’ administrations, scores of unregistered refugees at a number of facilities lost their jobs.
On 23 May, 2002, dozens of Turks were detained at the fields in Anapa district and Novorossiisk, and taken into police custody (Memorial, “Annex III: The Situation of Meskhetian Turks in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Fed-eration,” in: Compliance of the Russian Federation with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrim-ination, Moscow, December 2002, available at [http://www.memo.ru/eng/hr/dscr0212e/add3.htm]).
Ibidem.
A military class that existed before 1917 and which was the subject of ruthless repression by Soviet authorities.
See: A. Ossipov, “Krasnodar Region: Migration, Nationalism and Regional Rhetoric,” Caucasian Regional Stud-ies, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1996.
See: Memorial, “The Condition of Meskhetian Turks in the Krasnodar Territory, February 2004,” available at [http://
ng.kavkaz.memo.ru/analyticstext/enganalytics/id/653693.html].
This practice was legalized by the Resolution of the Head of Administration of Krasnodar Territory No. 220, dat-ed 19 April, 1994 On Extraordinary Measures with Respect to Struggle with Criminality.
Krasnodar Territory city paper.
A. Ossipov, “Meskhetians in Krasnodar in 2004,” MINELRES, 2005, available at [http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/
inelres/2005-January/003781.html].
See: A. Ossipov, “Meskhetian Turks in Krasnodar Territory Throughout 2003,” MINELRES, 23 January, 2004,available at [http://lists.delfi.lv/pipermail/minelres/2004-January/003157.html].
See: A. Aydingün, op. cit., p. 51.
See: A. Aydingün, op. cit., p. 51.
At the northern end of the Georgian military highway.
Critical food shortages and corresponding high food prices; disruption of trading links; lack of foreign exchange;inadequate incomes to cover food, housing and medicine (forcing 5%-6% of the total Georgian population to leave their homes); chronic shortages of equipment, fuel and medicines in hospitals; health epidemics; and violent human rights abuses in places like Sukhumi and during the Abkhaz advance to the Inguri river.
See: N. Sönmez, K. Kiri çi, “Report on Recent Movement of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and Illegal Immigrants into Turkey,” AWR Bulletin, No. 4, p. 13.
See: A. Ossipov, “Meskhetians in Krasnodar in 2004,” MINELRES, 2005, available at [http://lists.delfi.lv/piper-mail/minelres/2005-January/003781.html].
Neither Uzbekistan nor Kirghizia were present in this list, which was endorsed by the Committee on Migration and International Relations of the Supreme Soviet of the Russian Federation, and iterated by GAKK Decree No. 400 of 31 December, 1992.
Krasnodar Territory Migration Service.
On 7 June 1995, the Territory Legislative Assembly adopted Law No. 9-KZ On the Procedure for Registering Stay and Residence in Krasnodar Territory, signed by GAKK (Krasnodar Territory Administration Chief) Ye.Ì. Kharitonov on 23 June. In general, the law reproduces the provisions of GAKK Decree No. 222 and enacts new restrictions. In particu-lar, the law requires registration of RF citizens who are temporarily visiting the Territory, and the residential qualification has been increased from five to ten years for those permanent residents of the Territory who have the right to have their immediate relatives registered in their housing. On 6 July 1995, the law was published and, thus, came officially into force.
ts implementation mechanism was specified by GAKK Decree No. 438 of 8 July, 1995.
Turkic for “homeland.”
Vatan’s rigid position that Meskhetian Turks are ethnically Turkish runs counter to the Georgian government’s stance, which states that Meskhetian Turks are Islamicized Georgians.
Georgian for “salvation.”
Turkic for “hope.”
This statistical data was received by the Memorial Human Rights Center from the Krymsk Passport and Visa Service in October 1994 (published in: A. Ossipov, O. Cherepova, The Violation of the Rights of Forced Migrants and Ethnic Dis-crimination in Krasnodar Territory. The Situation of Meskhetian Turks, Memorial, Moscow, 1996, pp. 23-25).
The presidium of the regional legislature.
Never made public officially; the first publication in: A. Ossipov, Russian Experience of Ethnic Discrimination.
eskhetians in Krasnodar Region, Zvenya Publishers, Moscow, 2000.
Memorial, “Annex III.”
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