Chechen Diaspora opposes deportation of compatriots from Austria to Russia

On December 3, in Vienna, members of the Chechen Diaspora and human rights defenders held an action to protest against the mass deportation of ethnic Chechens to Russia. By pronouncing such decisions, the Austrian authorities violate the Convention on Human Rights, suggests Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the NGO "Civic Assistance Committee".

According to the estimates run by Roza Dunaeva, an activist of the Austrian cultural association "Ichkeria", at least 27 people were deported from the country.

Most of the deportees are of Chechen origin. They are being expelled despite the danger they face in Russia, activists emphasize. According to relatives of the deported people, they were expelled because of minor violations of the law committed by them at young age.

"They are mainly young people who lived here for 16-17 years, since their childhood. They had crime records in the past. They served their sentences for offenses here, and after that they were deprived of their refugee status," said Roza Dunaeva.

One of the deportees is a Chechen who does not speak Russian, and his family members remained in Austria, notes Khusein Iskhanov, the chair of the association "Ichkeria" in Vienna.

Activist Roza Dunaeva associates the deportation of ethnic Chechens with the policy of the coalition government which came to power in Austria in 2017 and which includes the far-right-wing "Freedom Party of Austria".

Hans-Georg Heinrich, Professor of the University of Vienna, who specializes in the studies of Northern Caucasus, has posted on Facebook his conversation with a right-wing Austrian journalist, who argues that Chechens do not work, but receive benefits from the state and that Chechen young people are aggressive and uncontrollable.