Human rights activist Valentina Chupik, who works on issues of migrants from Central Asia, told a Russian media outlet that citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are not allowed to enter Russia. Earlier, similar measures were taken against natives of Tajikistan.
According to Valentina Chupik, Russian border guards have been refusing entry to Russia in recent days not only to citizens of Tajikistan, but also citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Migrants are denied entry not only at airports, but also at ground checkpoints.
«Mass detentions of migrants at entry began on April 24, and by May 1, about 4,500 people had accumulated at Russian airports, approximately the same number were not allowed at ground checkpoints. Such a mass expulsion from Russia has never happened before. It used to happen that entire airplanes were denied entry, but it happened once a month, but now they turn everyone away,» the human rights activist said.
She added that a quarter of those detained are citizens of Tajikistan, about half are migrants from Uzbekistan, and the rest are mostly citizens of Kyrgyzstan.
People complain that they are held for hours in small rooms without food, water or any explanations, and then sent back to their home countries. Sometimes deportation can take several days.
Valentina Chupik emphasized that men without mustaches, but bearded, and women in hijabs are not allowed in.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan recommended its citizens to refuse traveling to the Russian Federation.
On April 26, the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan expressed concern to Russian Ambassador Semyon Grigoriev and about mass refusals of entry into the Russian Federation for citizens of Tajikistan.
This was preceded by media publications that hundreds of Tajikistanis were stuck at Sagarchin checkpoint on the border between Russia and Kazakhstan.
