27 December 2017, 05:12
Members of Chechen Diaspora voice their fear of authorities of Chechnya
Germany has followed France and changed its attitudes towards asylum seekers from Chechnya. Some of them face deportation to their homeland. In Europe, most refugees from Chechnya are afraid of being persecuted by Ramzan Kadyrov's agents and they have to abandon public criticism of the republic's authorities. This opinion was voiced by members of the Chechen Diaspora interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".
Germany began to satisfy some of Russia's requests for extradition, and that might be explained by the activities of the Russian authorities against the background of the Germans' fatigue from the "Chechen issue", believes Sulim Yunusov, a members of the Chechen Diaspora in Germany.
According to Die Welt, by February 2017, about 15,500 Russian citizens had applied for asylum in Germany. Of them, more than 13,600 were Chechen natives.
Khazman Umarova, a member of the Chechen Diaspora in France, believes that "it is better to be a poor refugee in Europe than to live with Scotch tape on your mouth."
Another woman from the Chechen Diaspora in France has noted that "when speaking on human rights, many Chechens ask reporters to remove cameras. The Chechens began to fear to gather for meetings to where random people can come."
Besides, according to the Chechen woman, there were cases when Chechens who expressed their criticism were forced to silence because of threats to their relatives.
The member of the Chechen Diaspora in France has noted that while granting her the asylum, the authorities specially warned her that she should be cautious.
The largest Chechen Diasporas are represented in Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Norway.
Ramzan Kadyrov almost succeeded in efforts to intimidate refugees from Chechnya, believes Khusein Erkenov, a member of the Chechen Diaspora in the Austrian capital.
A refugee from Chechnya living in the Czech Republic believes that the local law enforcement bodies are unlikely to provide her with real protection.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Source: CK correspondent
