RIGHTS GROUPS ASK FOR U.S. ASSISTANCE.

On March 7 a group of twenty-two humanitarian and human rights organizations called on U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to Chechens living in the United States. The intention behind the awarding of this status is to prevent the forced removal of such persons to places of “ongoing armed conflict,” which pose a serious threat to their personal safety. Among the signatories were Human Rights Watch, the International Rescue Committee, the Services Employees International Union of the AFL-CIO, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Physicians for Human Rights and the U.S. Committee for Refugees.