Chechens are sent out by Norway – fear of having to fight for Russia – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

The 27-year-old man from Chechnya is called up for military service in Russia.

To avoid being sent to the front to fight, he fled via Turkey and Croatia to Norway in autumn 2022 to seek asylum.

But because he first applied for asylum in Croatia, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) has decided to send him back there. It is in line with the Dublin Agreement.

Now the Norwegian Immigration Service (UNE) has also rejected his appeal against deportation. Within 14 days, the asylum seeker can be on his way to Croatia.

Fear of being sent back

The 27-year-old is afraid that he will be sent back to Russia from Croatia.

– I am very worried, and I got a bad feeling when I was told that I would be deported from Norway, he says to NRK.

He says that he had many hopes for life in Norway.

– If I am returned to Croatia, I am pretty sure I will be sent to Russia.

NRK met him for the first time in April last year.

He then did not dare to be photographed or have his name printed because of the safety of his family back home in Chechnya.

NRK knows his identity and has seen the documents in his case. NRK has also seen the article where the man is called up for military service.

– Real concern

Aage Borchgrevink i The Norwegian Helsinki Committee has investigated how Croatia treats asylum seekers.

He believes the 27-year-old has reason to be afraid of ending up in Russia.

– From what we can see, there is a real concern, says Borchgrevink to NRK.

– I find it extremely strange if they are going to deport people who are in danger of being forcibly sent to Ukraine to kill Ukrainians. It would be an absolutely terrible situation for everyone, quite simply.

UDI wrote in a previous decision that they have “no information indicating that the Croatian authorities will return persons to their home country/a third country in violation of the principle of non-refoulement”.

The non-refoulement principle means that Norway must not send people to countries where they are in danger of being sent on to areas where they risk the death penalty, torture or other inhumane treatment and punishment.

UNE, on the other hand, says they have full confidence that Croatia will process the application properly.

– Croatia is bound by the same international obligations as Norway when it comes to the return of asylum seekers to their home country. UNE assesses concretely in each individual case whether return is justifiable. In this case, we believe that it is, says Erik Mathisen, acting head of unit at UNE.

He says they are familiar with Borchgrevink’s views, but believes there is no basis for believing that Croatia will wrongfully send the man to Russia.

UDI: No danger when returning to Croatia

UDI writes in a general response to NRK that there are no decisions from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) or recommendations from the UN Refugee Agency that indicate that there is a danger linked to Dublin’s return to Croatia.

– UDI assumes that Croatia provides asylum seekers who are returned under the Dublin Agreement with individual and proper asylum processing that is in line with the Refugee Convention and other treaties and conventions that Croatia, like Norway, is bound by, writes Wenche Fone, Director of UDI Protection .

NRK has asked the Croatian embassy how the country handles Chechen asylum seekers with military orders.

“The Republic of Croatia respects the rights of asylum seekers in accordance with Croatian regulations, EU regulations and international conventions,” the embassy replies.

Strict asylum policy

Luka Kos works at the Center for Peace Studies in Zagreb, Croatia, and offers free legal aid to asylum seekers. He has taken a closer look at human rights violations in the country.

Kos does not agree that people from Chechnya who want asylum have a simple meeting with the authorities in the country.

According to him, the asylum policy in Croatia is very restrictive. He says the country gave 951 asylum seekers protection in the period 2006 to 2023.

– For people from Chechnya, the strict asylum policy was entangled with the security policy. Thus, the authorities often connected the asylum seekers with extremism and radicalisation.

Luka Kos emphasizes that they do not know how many people were asked to leave Croatia after expressing a desire to stay.

According to Kos, they have not heard of any Chechens in the last two years who have been granted asylum or protection without any form of detention.

– Most people only received protection when the case was brought before a court.