Swedish Migration Agency finds Russia safe for refugee from Chechnya

The Swedish Migration Agency denied asylum to an employee of the Chechen human rights association “Vayfond”, who went abroad after pressure from Ramzan Kadyrov’s subordinates. According to the Swedish Migration Agency, the man can live safely in other regions of Russia. This was reported by Kheda Albakova, a lawyer of the human rights association “Vayfond”. The threat of persecution by the Chechen authorities remains in any region of Russia, lawyer Kirill Koroteev notes.

The authorities of Sweden intend to deport an employee of the Chechen human rights association “Vayfond” to Russia, the organization reports on its Telegram channel.

“The Swedish Migration Agency refuses to see a threat to him and claims that he can live in Russia outside Northern Caucasus. There is no doubt that the announced decision of the Swedish Migration Agency violates human rights in the grossest way,” the Chechen human rights association “Vayfond” reports.

The Swedish Migration Agency has not considered a real threat in Russia to the employee of the organization, says Kheda Albakova, a lawyer of the human rights association “Vayfond”.

“Although the ‘Amnesty International’, the Swedish ‘Civil Rights Defenders’, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and the ‘Memorial’* wrote in his support,” Kheda Albakova said.

According to the lawyer, the Chechen law enforcement bodies persecuted the man in his homeland. Then, already in Sweden, he became a political activist.

“He may be ill-treated, tortured, and possibly killed in Russia,” Kheda Albakova said.

Advocate Tamilla Imanova recommended to request the application of interim measures of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

“The consideration of a case usually takes no longer than a week, and most of all the practice of interim measures is connected precisely with stopping the deportation of refugees and migrants to their native countries, where they are in mortal danger,” Tamilla Imanova noted.

*The organization was included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of NCOs, performing the functions of a foreign agent, and was liquidated by a court’s decision.