– Croatia is not a safe country. There are many cases where Chechens have been deported to Russia. I was afraid that it would happen to me if I stayed in Croatia, says the anonymous asylum seeker (26) to news. A few months ago, he came to Norway via Turkey and Croatia to apply for asylum. He first applied for asylum in Croatia, but thought the chances of getting it were too small. Thus he traveled on. Then the police had knocked on the door of the family’s home in Chechnya, to say that he and his brother would probably have to fight on Putin’s side in Ukraine, he says. He left the country a week before his family back in Chechnya received the mobilization order with his name on it. – I know that the war is not right. I don’t want to kill innocent people. And I don’t want to be killed in that war, says the 26-year-old. He does not dare to be photographed or have his name in print due to the safety of his family back home in Chechnya, but news knows his identity and has seen the documents in his case. news has also seen the article where the man is called up for military service. – I don’t want to be killed in that war So far this year, 45 Russian citizens have applied for asylum in Norway, most of them men. Also in 2022, the majority of the 283 applications for asylum were from male Russians. In the same period, 7 people have received collective protection, while 13 have been sent out of Norway in a so-called Dublin decision. The Dublin Agreement The Dublin Agreement is a collaboration between the EU countries, Iceland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Each asylum seeker has his application processed in only one of the Dublin countries. We call the countries involved in the collaboration Dublin countries. The main rule is that the application must be processed by the first Dublin country the asylum seeker comes to. If the asylum seeker applies for protection in another Dublin country, he or she must be sent back to the country which has already processed the application, or which will be responsible for processing the application. If you have received a Dublin decision on transfer to another country, you must return to the country that will process your application for protection. Source: UDI In 2022, 76 Russian citizens were granted asylum in Norway, while 14 were refused and 38 were deported according to the Dublin agreement. It is unknown how many of these have applied for asylum to escape military service in Ukraine. UDI has decided to put the cases concerning military conscientious objectors on hold until further notice, as they are unsure how such cases should be handled. – UDI is still awaiting clarification of practice, and the cases are put on hold because UDI must ensure that we have sufficient country information to make a sound assessment of the need for protection, unit manager Pernille Schulerud Søland tells news. Do you have any tips or input on how we can continue to work on this matter? Send an email here, or contact me on mobile/Signal + 4741462909. However, because the Chechen sought asylum in Croatia first, it has been decided that he can be sent back there. Even if he himself thinks it’s not safe. – If I am sent to Croatia, there is a high probability that they will send me to Russia. Then I’ll be the first person to Ukraine, says the man. With the help of lawyer Jostein Løken, he has complained about the decision. Thinks Croatia is unsafe The Norwegian-Chechen human rights activist Akmed Gisaev believes there is a good chance that the man will be sent to the war in Ukraine if he is sent back to Russia. – They force many young Chechens to Ukraine, where they die or have to kill. Forced mobilization in Chechnya is a reality. For Putin, it is important to send Chechens to Ukraine, says Gisaev to news. Akmed Gisaev previously worked at the Helsinki Committee, and now works at the Human Rights Analysis Center in Oslo. Photo: Human Rights Analysis Center Gisaev believes it is important for Putin to show the world that Chechens, who have repeatedly fought against Putin’s forces for their own independence, now stand side by side with Russian soldiers. Croatia has signed the Refugee Convention. The country is thus considered a safe recipient country. Exceptions can nevertheless be made, if there is concrete evidence that the country is not safe. The conditions for migrants in Croatia are, among other things, the subject of criticism reports from the organizations Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. The Croatian human rights organization Center for peace studies (Centar Za Mirovne Studie) states in an e-mail to news that they have limited knowledge of the situation of Russian and Chechen asylum seekers in Croatia. – We know that a large group of people from Chechnya have been detained in a reception center since November, and that they are in danger of being deported. They are men, and even the families do not know the reason why they are detained, the organization writes. Expecting proper asylum processing The asylum seeker’s lawyer, Jostein Løken, says courts in several countries refuse to send asylum seekers to Croatia due to a lack of legal certainty for asylum seekers. – Croatia has signed the refugee convention. Shouldn’t it be assumed that the asylum seeker receives fair treatment there? – The question is how one is treated de facto in Croatia. We have a lot of documentation there, including from the Helsinki Committee. I take it for granted that Norway will not forcibly send anyone to Croatia as unclear as the country’s situation is, he says to news. The asylum seeker’s lawyer, Jostein Løken at Elden Advokatfirma. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Unit leader Søland in UDI writes in an e-mail to news that UDI assumes that Croatia provides asylum seekers who are returned there with proper case management in line with the refugee convention. She says the Croatian authorities have accepted responsibility for processing the man’s asylum application, and that UDI is aware of criticism of parts of the asylum process in Croatia. – When it comes to the situation for Dublin returnees to Croatia, there is no ECHR judgment that indicates that Dublin return to Croatia is in violation of ECHR 3 and thus not justifiable. We are also not aware that there is a recommendation from UNHCR that advises against Dublin returns to Croatia, writes Søland. Søland also refers to a report from the organization Asylum Information Database (AIDA), which states that there are no obstacles to asylum seekers returned from Dublin to Croatia having their asylum application processed. – UDI assumes that Croatia, as a member state, provides asylum seekers who are returned under the Dublin Agreement with individual and sound asylum processing that is in line with the Refugee Convention and other treaties and conventions that Croatia, like Norway, is bound by, writes the head of the unit.
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Can be thrown out of Norway – fear of fighting for Putin in Ukraine – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
