Worse than in the prison: illegal migrants find themselves in the horrifying situation

The site of Radio Liberty devoted its material to the fate of illegal labor migrants who ended up in Russia with expired documents during this difficult period.

Since the borders are closed, violators were placed in temporary detention centers for foreign citizens (TsVSIG). In Yekaterinburg on April 27, this measure led to a conflict involving riot police. And the reason was the ban on the use of gadgets.

Witnesses claim that migrants were not given the opportunity to contact relatives, and the question “why?” the guard said: "you Muslims have gotten me ...". In response to this, unrest began, so I had to call the riot police, which brutally put things in place with batons. In protest, several migrants tried to open their veins.

“The whole corridor was bloody!”, - say witnesses to the incident, but the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs deny this, promising to "sort it out.

In total, 132 people were in the center in those days, 111 were detained for violating the rules of entry or the regime of stay, while the rest were released from prisons and recognized as undesirable persons in Russia. According to the press service of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Sverdlovsk Region, they initiated a dispute with the guards.

Meanwhile, human rights activists who visit the detention center even during quarantine argue that all foreigners who are there constantly complained about the quality of food, including moldy bread. Living conditions also do not inspire optimism: the cells in which the migrants are kept are full, the toilet does not work, the water in the sink does not close due to a mixer malfunction, pipes leak, there is practically no hot water, the garbage cannot be taken out, it rots and stinks .. .

Moreover, some people who got into this institution complain that they had all the permits, but when they checked on the streets, the police simply tore them up. There are also “stateless persons” who were born in the USSR, but for some reason did not receive passports, so there is simply nowhere to deport them ...

For example, the father of Elena Furtikova, a citizen of the RSFSR, died when her daughter was two years old. Lena was five years old when her mother and her new husband took her to Tajikistan. Having matured, the girl decided to return to her parents' homeland and try to establish her life here, especially since she fits the definition of a native Russian speaker. But the homeland met Furtikova not as a daughter, but as a stepdaughter, the officials each time demanded different procedures, for which she did not have enough money, then time, or information. Furtikova rented a house in Verkhnyaya Pyshma, collected certificates, paid duties, and passed exams. But the registration of citizenship dragged on, and she was placed in TsVSIG. Now Elena is awaiting expulsion to Tajikistan, where no one has been waiting for her for a long time, her mother also died ...

Another category is chronically ill people. They do not receive any medical assistance in the detention center, since it is assumed that they get there for a short time, although even before the pandemic, others had to live there for six months or more.

It is known that by presidential decree, due to the threat of coronavirus infection for foreigners, the duration of the permitted stay in Russia was suspended, and therefore their stay in a special detention center violates international law and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. In order to avoid a very probable outbreak of coronavirus in a special detention center, they could be released to relatives who agree to accept them, but permission to do so is possible only by court, and the courts refuse for unknown reasons.

Lawyers believe that the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is responsible for the situation:

“Until now, even after Putin’s decree No. 274, there is no developed procedure to reduce the number of people in the TsVSIG. The reason is the inaction of specific local officials who, under the guise of a coronavirus, turned off all work, although they are still legally required to work. There should be at least weekly meetings, a schedule. Suppose there are real deportees who have served time under article 228 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, but they can probably be kept there. And there are those who did not have time to leave the country before the expiration of their stay, because his salary was delayed. One guy is sitting there now, who has not offended flies in his 20 years. These are absolutely necessary to produce! They should have brought the meaning of the presidential decree to every person, invited them to write applications for withdrawal under guarantees from relatives - citizens of Russia. If someone gets sick with a coronavirus, the cap of a general will fly ... "

In the meantime, the police continue to file claims for the expulsion of foreign citizens, and the courts make such decisions, despite the release of a presidential decree. Diplomats do not help either, especially indifferent to the fate of their citizens at the Tajik consulate in Yekaterinburg.

Lawyers believe that the legal status of detainees is even worse than that of real prisoners. They cannot even get psychological help, they have no right, unlike criminals, to even buy goods in a special store! This is a real captivity.

This also includes the ban on the use of telephones, which caused a riot on April 27. Those 15–20 minutes at which they are given out are not enough even to charge them. The leaders of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs claim that they are acting legally, especially since migrants, according to their statements, "also communicate with the American media!"

However, human rights activists say that there was no riot:

“Riot is when people are aggressive, in this case there was a fact of self-aggression, they cut themselves. They are now in a state of heightened anxiety because they do not know when it will all end. Each trigger moment of anxiety is different: someone needs to call relatives, and he will calm down. Someone - buy a chocolate bar, and he will calm down. They needed a psychologist, not a policeman..."