Building-up tension about the refugees is connected with, not in the last
place, with a wide-spread stereotypical concept of these refugees’ high
criminality. The Resolution of the Krai’s Administration # 220 «On extraordinary
measures directed at struggle with criminality » dated April 19, 1994 makes
an emphasis on the migrants’ role in growth of criminality. As concerns
Meskheti Turks, such assertions are disproved by the data provided by the
Krai’s Department of Internal Affairs.
In accordance with the reference note provided by the Krai’s Department
of Internal Affairs and signed by the head of the division of relations
between nationalities of the Public Security Militia V.D.Lanovoy [the document
is available with the compilers of the report] covering an 8-month period
of the year 1994: (January — August) 30,697 crimes were committed in the
Krai, particularly: by Russians 26,587 (86.6%), by Armenians — 1,464 (4.8%),
by Turks — 28 (0.09% with their estimated percentage in the population being
0.31%). From among the total number, 2,306 crimes (7.5%) have been committed
by non-residents of the Krai, among them Russians — 1,175 (51% of this number).
33,473 crimes have been committed within 8 months of 1994, among them 28,363
(87.3%) were committed by Russians, 1,527 (4.7%) by Armenians, 23 (0.07%)
by Turks. From among the total number of investigated crimes, 2,069 (6.3%)
were committed by non-residents, particularly 956 (46.2%) — by Russians.
The Head of the Department of the Ministry of National Affairs and Regional
Policy of the Russian Federation (former manager of Krasnodarski Krai’s
Department of National Affairs and Migration Affairs) M.V.Savva and V.V.Remmler
have denied resolutely that Meskheti Turks are participating the transportation
and sales of drugs. Their participation in drug business was also denied
by the Militia officers in the areas we visited. For the last four years
Meskheti Turks have committed in the Krai one murder and one violation,
as concerns grave crimes.1
According to Militia officers who work in districts, Meskheti Turks are
not creating any serious problems. Sometimes, domestic conflicts are connected
with them.2
Administrative crimes are also committed, first of all, livestock pasture
in unauthorized places, damage caused to fields by grazing cattle (in other
words, livestock owned by Meskheti Turks is wandering to the residents’
fields and kitchen-gardens) and unlicensed trade or trade organized in
unauthorized places.
So the obtained data, that are, of course, incomplete and fragmentary,
are not confirming the fact of higher criminality of Meskheti Turks or
their specific «contribution» to the growth of crime.
OFFENCES AMONG MESKHETI TURKS