The Uzbekistan Migration Agency issued "regret and concern" over reports of the use of physical force against foreign nationals during a Russian National Guard’s raid in Moscow, including possibly nationals of Uzbekistan.
During a check of foreign nationals temporarily working in Russia, the media reported on the use of physical force by Russian National Guard’s officers.
"Against the backdrop of the growing interest every year on the part of the Russian government and large employers in the centralized recruitment of Uzbekistan nationals to work in Russia, the facts of rude treatment of foreign nationals by some officers of law enforcement agencies cause regret and concern," the agency said in a statement on Monday.
The situation is under the oversight of the Consulate General of Uzbekistan and the representative office of the Migration Agency in the Russian Federation. The agency is awaiting official information from Russian law enforcement agencies.
The agency called on nationals of Uzbekistan who may have suffered as a result of the actions of security forces to immediately seek legal and consular assistance. In particular, this concerns cases of bodily harm, violation of rights or other legal problems.
Contacts for communication: +7 925 045-47-44, Telegram: @pomoshrussiamigrant, @huquqiy_yordam_uzbot
What happened
The incident, which caused a reaction from the Uzbek authorities, occurred the day before in Moscow. As reported by the Baza Telegram channel, riot police officers conducted a "tough" raid on a migrant workers dormitory located at one of the facilities of the Ministry of Defense in the Strogino district.
According to eyewitnesses, law enforcement agencies treated them roughly: they kicked men out of their rooms, and those who hesitated were driven forward with kicks and slaps. Insults addressed to migrants can also be heard on the recording.
As a result of the check, 5-6 people were detained, who, as they say, were found to have violated the migration laws. They were taken to the police station to clarify the circumstances. According to Baza, among those detained were two nationals of Tajikistan, who were later deported.
A raid had also been carried out in St. Petersburg earlier. On the night of June 3-4, about 200 foreign nationals spent the night on the street near the Unified Document Center (UDC) building on Krasnogo Tekstilshchika street. People spent the night on the asphalt after they had not had time to submit documents the day before due to mass police raids, the Bumaga publication reported, citing eyewitnesses.
According to one of the migrants, "we are being held like sheep on the floor or standing up." A line formed in an alley near the building of the labor migration department. People spent the night in the open air, unable to go out for water or leave the "pen" - metal frames and a fence that fenced off part of the territory of the UDC. There were at least two such sectors on site - separate for men and women.
According to the police, as a result of the events held in places of mass presence of foreigners, including migration services and construction sites, more than 200 people were delivered. Most of them were fined for administrative violations, another 30 foreigners received notices of the need to leave the country.
The Unified Document Center in St. Petersburg is a key institution where foreign nationals apply for work permits, temporary residence permits (TRP), residence permits (RP) and receive Russian nationalship. In recent months, social networks have published messages about hours-long queues, sleeping on the street and unacceptable treatment of migrants in this center.
In early May, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry raised the issue of frequent violations of rights and cases of rude treatment of labor migrants in the Russian Federation at a meeting with the Russian ambassador. The official Tashkent called on the Russian authorities to report these cases to the competent authorities.
