A court in Croatia refused to grant asylum to Chechen refugees

A court in Croatia denied the status of political refugees and international protection to five natives of Chechnya. Now they can be deported back to Russia, Isa Daduev, a representative of the Assembly of Chechens of Europe, told Kavkaz.Realii editors.

“The translators who participated in the court said that the refusal was issued without any evidence, and was based on only assumptions that the applicants for protection are Islamist extremists. It is a very biased decision,” Daduev believes.

Natives of Chechnya living in Croatia stated that one of the reasons for emigration was their reluctance to participate in the war against Ukraine. Now they remain in the center for migrants, from where they can either be released for travel to another country or deported to Russia. At the moment, the final decision of the Croatian authorities on this issue is unknown.

• In early November, several dozen natives of Chechnya were detained in Croatia – they complained of being forced to sign a refusal to apply for asylum. The detainees left Russia via Turkey and arrived in Croatia in transit, intending to go from there to other European countries. Then, after publications in the mass media, the Ombudsman of Croatia, Tena Šimonović-Ainwalter, announced that she would check the legality of the detention of natives of Chechnya and plans for their deportation. Croatian human rights activists also drew attention to the situation.
• In December, the “Assembly of Chechens of Europe” stated that one of the Chechen refugees was beaten by Croatian policemen at the airport. After that, the victim was sent to a migrant camp, where he was kept in solitary confinement for several days. Human rights activists published photos with traces of beatings, the name of the refugee is not mentioned. Croatian authorities did not comment on the information about the beating of a migrant from Chechnya.
• Since January of this year, Croatia has entered the Schengen zone. At the end of last year, when natives of Chechnya were detained in the country, border control between Croatia and neighboring EU countries was still maintained.
• A number of EU countries previously stated that the desire to avoid mobilization in itself cannot be the basis for granting refugee status to Russian citizens.