On 4 December, in Kyiv, near the premises of the honorary consulate of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Ukraine, a public protest will be held in support of the Chechen refugee Selima Khadisova and other refugees who represent enslaved people, threatened with extradition from Europe to the so-called “Russian Federation”. The Ukrainian Information Service reports this.
Selima Hadisova, a mother of many children, arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Turkey on 29 September 2024 and was detained at the airport along with her three children. She is accused by the Russian security forces of helping fighters of the national liberation movement of Ichkeria, she is threatened with extradition at the request of Interpol. Selima is under temporary arrest in connection with the extradition order issued by Interpol in Moscow, on suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Article 208(2) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The first court kept Selima Hadisova under arrest, despite the defence’s request to release her and allow her to be with her children. The native of Chechnya has already applied for political asylum to avoid deportation. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Law on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters stipulates that an asylum seeker cannot be deported while proceedings are pending.
For 20 years, examples of human rights violations and cases of violence against Chechens have been observed in Europe. Chechnya has been experiencing gross human rights violations for many years, including torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial executions. Many Chechens leave Russia to escape political repression and religious persecution.
The story of Muslim Tsintsiaev, who left Chechnya after the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, is also illustrative. He was detained in France in June 2024. In his homeland, he has been declared an internationally wanted man in a “terrorist” article. Tsintsaev cites his anti-war stance as the reason for the persecution. He remains in deportation prison pending a decision on extradition.
Refugees of other enslaved nations, both men and women, face similar problems. In January 2024, the human rights organization Amnesty International called on the EU not to extradite refugees from the North Caucasus to Russia, as they risk being tortured or sent to war in Ukraine.
The protest action near the honorary consulate of Bosnia and Herzegovina will begin on 4 December at 12:00 p.m.
