Rights defenders: France starts extraditing natives of Caucasus without trials

In 2017, France has dramatically changed its attitude towards people from Chechnya requesting political refuge. Sasha Koulaeva, the head of Eastern Europe-Central Asia Desk at the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), reported about 10 people from Chechnya who face extradition only for suspicion of being involved in radical groupings.

The rights defenders are concerned about the fact that people are deported from France without trials. "A note from the secret services stating that a person has some connections with radical groupings is enough to deport him or her from the country," the FIDH's representative explained.

The French authorities changed their policy towards refugees from Chechnya in 2017, Sasha Koulaeva noted. "In previous years, France avoided the extradition of people from Chechnya. However, to our chagrin, the situation changes," the rights defender explained.

Sasha Koulaeva has expressed her concern over the lack of guarantees for an independent, fair trial and protection from torture for natives of Chechnya who had earlier got political asylum in France.

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