Seven Turkish Circassians in KBR face deportation

The Department for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) of the Russia's Federal Migration Service (FMS) has revoked temporary residence permits of seven Circassians – Turkish citizens, having accused them of violating the migration legislation.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was informed at the Department for the KBR of the FMS that the violation was in untrue information about their residence.

"Accordingly, it was decided to annul 16 temporary residence permits and 10 residence permits of Turkish citizens in the Russian Federation; of them, seven persons are ethnic Circassians," said the spokesman of the Department of the FMS.

He explained that the republic has not approved the state program on assisting the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to the Russian Federation. Therefore, the Turkish Circassians are under the general requirements of the Russian migration legislation.

The violation is in the fact that the repatriates had been registered at one address, but live at another one, Aslan Bersekov, Vice-President of the International Circassian Association, has explained.

Valery Khatazhukov, Chairman of the KBR's Human Rights Centre, has sent a letter to the head of KBR Yuri Kokov, asking him to intervene into the situation.

According to the Department of the FMS for the KBR, currently, 90 Turkish citizens have their temporary residences in the republic; 104 others have residence permits.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.