Tajikistan protests to Russia due to violation of the rights of Tajik citizens

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan reported that the Russian Ambassador to the republic, Semyon Grigoriev, was summoned on Monday. He was presented with a note of protest in connection with “massive cases of manifestation of an emphatically negative attitude” towards citizens of Tajikistan on Russian territory. The Foreign Ministry also announced a “widespread violation” of the rights and freedoms of Tajiks in Russia.

“The note notes that this kind of action is applied exclusively to citizens of Tajikistan, which is fundamentally incompatible with the spirit and traditions of Tajik-Russian relations,” the department said in a message on Telegram.

Yesterday, April 28, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan reported that as a result of thorough checks, about a thousand citizens of the republic were stuck at Moscow airports. In addition, the Asia-Plus publication wrote that since April 22, about 180 cars with Tajik license plates have been stuck on the Kazakh-Russian border in the Orenburg region due to thorough entry checks. Against this background, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan recommended that its citizens temporarily refrain from traveling to Russia on all types of transport unless absolutely necessary.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, explained the inspections by increased security measures after the terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall. At the same time, according to her, checks are not related to the nationality of citizens and are temporary. “The Russian side is taking comprehensive measures to resolve the current situation as quickly as possible. We count on your understanding,” Ms. Zakharova said on April 27.

The Russian authorities began to discuss tightening migration policy after the terrorist attack in the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Four of the alleged terrorists have Tajik citizenship, and most of those arrested for complicity are natives of this country. On April 27, a bill was introduced to  the State Duma that would reduce the period of stay of foreigners in Russia to 90 days during the year and introduce a regime for the expulsion of illegal migrants. The Ministry of Digital Development, in turn, proposed obliging foreign citizens to submit biometric data when purchasing a SIM card in the Russian Federation. In addition, all 12 universities authorized to conduct Russian language exams for foreigners terminated contracts with commercial partners on behalf of the head of the Ministry of Education and Science Valery Falkov.