Human rights defenders treat Ali Bataev’s case as an example of European bias towards Chechens

Ali Bataev, a native of Chechnya, whom the authorities of Switzerland refused protection and ordered deportation, will be subjected to persecution and torture in his homeland, state human rights defenders. They note that the authorities of European countries are often prejudiced towards refugees from Chechnya.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Ali Bataev went on a hunger strike, declaring that he would face persecution in Chechnya if deported. On October 15, it became known that Ali Bataev was denied international protection because the authorities of Switzerland considered Chechnya a safe territory.

After being denied international protection, Ali Bataev did not go on a new hunger strike. “He fasted for about 60 days and is still recovering,” states his wife Olga.

According to the woman, law enforcers came to relatives of her husband in Chechnya after his case became public. “Since 2019, Ali lived in Ukraine and was engaged in business. Before that, he did not advertise his political views and participation in supporting the Chechen battalions fighting in Ukraine, but now there is no point in hiding anything,” says Olga.

Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes that if Ali Bataev returns to Chechnya, he will be persecuted there.

Austria, Switzerland, and other European countries that are loyal to the Russian authorities often make similar decisions regarding people from Chechnya, notes Ruslan Kutaev. “They don’t even bother to find out that the human rights situation in Chechnya not only remains unchanged, but is worsening every day,” emphasizes the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

Kheda Albakova, a lawyer of the “Vayfond” human rights organization, notes that European countries are distrustful of Chechens requesting refugee status, since they have recorded a lot of violations of asylum conditions committed by migrants from the region.

“There are cases when people outright lie, and then their lies are revealed,” explained Kheda Albakova.

Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”*, considers unacceptable the generalization approach, which has become often used in Europe when considering cases of refugees from Chechnya.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.