Participants in the rally in Vienna demanded asylum for people from Chechnya.
Activists held a rally in Vienna outside the German embassy, during which they demanded that the German authorities provide asylum to residents of Chechnya who left the republic due to threats of political persecution.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in European countries, authorities periodically make decisions to deport refugees from the North Caucasus who are seeking asylum in Europe back to Russia. For instance, on June 24, it became known that a native of Chechnya was deported from Lithuania. The authorities denied him an extension of his refugee status, despite the fact that he had lived in the country legally for more than 20 years.
On July 10, a group of activists from the Chechen diaspora held a rally in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in support of refugees from the North Caucasus seeking asylum, reported human rights activist Roza Dunaeva.
The rally took place near the building of the German embassy. "Participants called on the German authorities to ensure protection, justice, and safety for Chechen asylum seekers and to carefully consider the serious risks they may face if returned," Dunaeva wrote on her Facebook page on July 10.
Demonstrators urged the German authorities to comply with the country's international obligations to protect human rights, as stated in the publication.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on March 23, it became known that a Chechen seeking protection in Estonia did not receive proper legal assistance and was deported to Russia. The man had reasons to fear for his life, human rights activists noted.
On June 16, it became known that an artist from Russia, Robert Kuzovkov (pseudonym Semyon Skrepetzky), who drew caricatures of Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin, was shot in the Polish city of Biała Podlaska. The killer fired five shots at the artist. On June 18, it became known about the detention of a suspect. The man used a Georgian passport. His hostel neighbors reported that he spoke Russian and knew Azerbaijani. Sources identified the detained suspect in the Skrepetzky murder case as Chechen.
It should be noted that the authorities of Chechnya have been persecuting their critics abroad for many years. In July 2020, bloggers from the Chechen diaspora who criticized Kadyrov's regime reported on regular threats. They did so after the murder in Austria of a native of Chechnya, Mamikhan Umarov, known as "Anzor from Vienna." "Caucasian Knot" collected stories of the elimination of Ramzan Kadyrov's opponents in the EU in a report titled "Murders of Kadyrov's Critics in EU Countries".