Vladimir Vladimirovich!

With great satisfaction we learned that the President of the USA G.Bush announced the amnesty for millions of illegal migrants in the territory of the USA. It is amazing that this decision has been adopted in the country which after events of September 11 became the outpost of the struggle against terrorism, and which after the war with Iraq is under constant threat of new terrorist acts.

Pragmatic America has understood that the most effective way of the struggle against illegal migration is legalization.

Immigration amnesties were repeatedly carried out in the European countries: Italy, Belgium, Germany. And even such rather poor country as Poland has announced recently, simultaneously with America, the immigration amnesty. The experience shows that it is much more advantageous for any state to obtain taxes from working migrants than to persecute them with penalties, deportations, and generate corruption in the ranks of officials.

It pains us to realize that the countries of the West legalize foreign visitors, and our state with senseless cruelty turns into "illegals" our compatriots who don't have other native land except Russia.

The All-Russia extraordinary congress to defend migrants supported necessity of an urgent immigration amnesty (legalization) in June of 2002. Members of the Commission on Human Rights twice (in December of 2002 and in December of 2003) spoke about this with you, Vladimir Vladimirovich. You, Mr. President, have noted yourself in your annual message to the Federal Assembly how hard the current vicious system of legalization hits the great bulk of our compatriots who have arrived to Russia.

Unfortunately, the amendments you introduced into the law "On citizenship of the Russian Federation", have facilitated the fate of only a small part of "forced illegals". Moreover, in these amendments, for the first time since 1993, the system of registration of residence generates, contrary to the Constitution, one of the most important rights - the right to become the citizen of Russia. Thus, thousands of people still are deprived of the opportunity to live and work in Russia honestly and openly.

We address to you, Mr. President, with the request to take the decision on the immigration amnesty in Russia which is vital for a big number of our compatriots. We are convinced that this humane action simultaneously will be the most favourable for the state too.


Elena Bonner,
President of Andrey Sakharov Foundation

Lidia Grafova,
Chairman of the Executive Committee of the "Forum of migrant organizations", Member of the Governmental commission on migratory policy

Svetlana Gannushkina,
Chairman of the Committee "Civil assistance", head of the program "Migration and Law", member of the Commission on Human Rights at the president of the Russian Federation

Sergey Kovalev,
President of the Institute of Human Rights

Valery Abramkin,
Chairman of the Center for promotion of the reform of criminal justice

Yury Samodurov,
Director of Andrey Sakharov Museum and Public Center

Lev Ponomarev,
Executive director of the All-Russian movement "For Human Rights"

Georgy Satarov,
President of the Foundation INDEM

Andrey Blinushov,
Director of the Inter-regional Group "Human Rights Network", Ryazan

Yulia Sereda,
Vice-president of the Ryazan human rights society "Memorial", Ryazan

Oleg Orlov,
Chairman of the Council of the Human Rights Center of the Society "Memorial"

Tatyana Kasatkina,
Executive director of the Human Rights Center of the Society "Memorial"

Igor Yakovenko,
Doctor of Philosophy

Lev Levinson,
Institute of human rights

Mikail Arutyunov,
President of the International human rights assembly

Ernst Cherny,
Coalition "Ecology and Law"

Alexander Tkachenko,
General director of the PEN-Center

Gleb Yakunin,
Public Committee for defence of the freedom of worship

Alexander Bekhtold
Executive director of the Khabarovsk regional branch of the public society "For Human Rights"

Victor Kurenkov,
Chairman of the council of the public association "Tula human rights center", Tula

Mark Kuperman
Chairman of the Public human rights Center, Sakhalin region

Valery Safronov
Chairman of the Oryol regional network of migrant organizations "Rassvet"

Vasily Tselovalnikov
Head of the association of forced migrants "Solidarity", Stavropol

Tatyana Khomutova
Regional Council of the society of forced migrants from the Chechen Republic, Stavropol

Yury Stadnichenko
Society of refugees from Chechnya, Shpakovsky district of Stavropol territory

Mikhail Zubkov
Association of Russian refugees and migrants "Compatriots", city of Budennovsk of Stavropol territory

Nikolaj Khramov
Secretary of the movement "Russian Radicals"

Yaroslav Golovin
V.Popkov Information-analytical center

Larisa Chernova
Director of the organization "Center of social and information support "Istok", village of Novaya Usman, Voronezh region

Elena Tsarenkova
Chairman of the Saratov public foundation "Society and Law"

Victor Sidorov
Head of the Dinsky regional organization of migrants "Revival", Krasnodar territory

Vyacheslav Igrunov
Director of the International institute for humanitarian and political researches

Galina Laine
Chairman of the "Committee for assistance to forced migrants from Chechnya", Saratov region

Boris Sukhanov
Head of the information and human rights center of conflictology "Arkaim", Chelyabinsk

Valery Madyarov
Head of the organization of refugees and forced migrants "Assistance", Vladimir

Lyudmila Komogortseva
Deputy of the Bryansk regional Duma Chairman of the Bryansk "Human rights association"

Lyudmila Babushkina
Chairman of the Russian public association "Rossoshanka"

Lilia Makarova
Chairman of the council of the Moscow region organization of forced migrants and refugees "Svet"

Said Magomedov
Head of the Organization for support of refugees and forced migrants, Kizlyar

Galina Selina
President of the Lipetsk public organization "Kovcheg"

Andrey Zakhvatov
Head of the association of forced migrants, Suzdal

Sergey Filatov
Chairman of the Council of the Congress of the intelligentsia of the Russian Federation, President of the Foundation SEIP

Dmitry Krayukhin
Director of the Institute of Problems of Society "United Europe", Orel

Veronika Katkova
Coordinator of the Moscow Helsinki group for Oryol region

Yury Vdovin
Deputy chairman of the human rights organization "Civil Control"

Sergey Smerdov
Head of the Khanty-Mansi branch of the public movement "Worker's initiatives"

Grigory Pasko
Editor of the magazine "Ecology and Law"

Yury Litvinov
Kirov public organization of refugees and forced migrants "Aegis"

Nikolay Lebedev
Chairman of the public movement "For human rights"

Dmitry Brodsky
Coordinator of the human rights and education group "Feedback"

Sergey Valkov
Chairman of the Ivanovo regional Commission on Human Rights Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Ivanovo area

Iolanta Agababovyan
Head of the organization "Human rights activist", city of Borisoglebsk, Voronezh region

Tatyana Kotlyar
Coordinator of the Obninsk regional human rights group Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Kaluga region

Ruslan Linkov
Chairman of the St.-Petersburg organization "Democratic Russia"

Alexander Zuyev
Association of forced migrants "Saratovsky istochnik"

V.A.Marchenko
Chairman of the Board of the Foundation "Right of Mother"

Vadim Belotserkovsky,
Writer

Vyacheslav Feraposhkin,
Director of the Sasovo human rights center "Choice of Conscience"

Mikhail Arutyunov
President of the International human rights assembly

Natalia Dzyadko
Coordinator of the exhibition "Person and Prison"

Victor Sidletsky
Head of the public organization "Repatriation", Yekaterinburg

Lidia Naumova
Head of the organization of forced migrants "Committee of Hope", Volgograd

Arseny Roginsky
Human Rights Center "Memorial"

Natella Shekikhacheva
Foundation "Help", Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Marina Chernysheva
Journalist, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Alan Dzhussoyev
Agency on motivation of the society, South Ossetia

Valery Kazakov
Chairman of the public organization "Nogay El", Republic Karachai-Cherkessia

Svetlana Turchina
Association of victims of political repressions, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic

Valery Dzutsev
Institute for elucidation of War-Peace, Northern Ossetia-Alania

Alexander Derun
Don association of migrants, Rostov-on-Don

D.K.Yakhiyayev
Youth social movement "Coalition", Chechen Republic

Aminat Abdulmuslimova
Public organization "Vesta", Chechen Republic

Mikail Chemurziyev
Foundation "Pilgrim", Republic Ingushetia

Luisa Saytakhanova
Public organization "People of Mercy", Chechen Republic

E.A.Boldurinova
Journalist, Elista, Republic Kalmykia

Zukhra Kharkimova
"Association of women-doctors of the Chechen Republic", Grozny

Rayzat Chermayeva
Regional public organization "Motherly hearth", Republic Dagestan

Georgy Rafailov
Deputy chairman of the Association for assistance to refugees, Saint Petersburg

Evgeny Bobrov
Head of the human rights organization "Voskhod", Moscow