Ukraine refuses entry for editor-in-chief of "Voice of Islam" (+video)

Khamzat Chernomorchenko, a native of Karachay-Cherkessia, claims he was denied entry to the territory of Ukraine because of his religious affiliation and political activity.

Khamzat (Dmitry) Chernomorchenko, the editor-in-chief of the website "Voice of Islam", has claimed that inspectors from the Ukrainian Border Guard Service refused to let him enter the country after an interview at a checkpoint at the airport in Odessa. The refusal in entry was informally explained by his religious affiliation and his support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Khamzat Chernomorchenko himself.

According to the journalist, he was going to enter Ukraine to submit documents for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.

Khamzat Chernomorchenko has reported that at the Odessa airport, he passed two interviews held during more than five hours. He has noted that he was going to Ukraine with his relative, who was also refused in entry to the country.

The journalist has noted he treats the reasons for refusing entry to Ukraine voiced by the border guards as "frankly xenophobic." He has also added that he together with his relative are being held in "prison" conditions and that he is waiting for an advocate to appeal against the decision made by the Ukrainian border guards.

"We are kept in a kind of room, looking more like a prison, in inhuman conditions. We got acquainted with all inspectors. They told us that we had passed all the interviews and that the report had been positive. However, the chief has sent them instructions and said we are 'well-known Islamists who supported Erdogan in Turkey during the coup.' After that, we were refused in entry to the country," Khamzat Chernomorchenko has emphasized.

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