To: Mr.Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation;

Ms.Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;

Mr.Konstantin Romodanovskiy, Head of the Federal Migration Service;

Mr.Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation;

Mr.Ziyadulla Pulathodzhaev, Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Russian Federation;

Human rights organizations and the media.

Dear Sirs,

The entire world community has witnessed the incident, which happened on July 27, 2013, near the market Matveevskiy in Moscow, when a Russian citizen Magomed Rasulov with his relatives and friends obstructed law enforcement officers of the capital city when taking operational measures to arrest the alleged offender (video of the incident can been found here –www.youtube.com / watch? feature = player_embedded & v = pi11DGmh6dk).

After this incident, one of the field officers of the Moscow Criminal Investigation Department, Captain Anton Kudryashov, was hospitalized with a head injury.

The incident provoked a strong reaction not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Many people across the country felt the echoes of these resonant events. Amateur video published online shows in detail the provocative and rude actions of Magomed Rasulov, who, ignoring all rules of law and morality, beat a law enforcement officer, who was performing his duties. Illegal actions of Rasulov and negligence and unprofessionalism of Kudryashev’s colleagues, who allowed the situation to deteriorate, have caused widespread anger, outrage and public outcry.

It raises a number of questions to administration and the security service of the market Matveevskiy, as well as to the patrolling officers, who allowed such an escalation of tensions that led to serious consequences. Cowardice and incompetence of law enforcement officials allowed the offender to escape from the scene.

Video featuring beating of a police officer, published on the Internet, as well as the critical remarks of the president Vladimir Putin on this matter (http://ria.ru/tv_politics/20130731/953387266.html) became a detonator for large and tough actions of law enforcement agencies. Ministry of Internal Affairs, Investigative committee and Federal Migration Service, backed by riot police, began inspecting areas of Moscow and all the major cities of Russia, densely populated by migrant workers.

Despite the fact that the abovementioned incident occurred between the citizens of the Russian Federation – trader at market Matveevskiy, who beat the police officer, is a Russian citizen –hundreds of thousands of deprived and vulnerable migrant workers had to pay for it. They became so-called “scape goats” of this incident. Now, migrant workers are responsible for beating of a police officer, who was not protected by his own colleagues. The “preventive maintenance” held only in Moscow and the Moscow region “discovered” more than five thousand illegal migrants. The question is: why the citizens of neighboring countries that violated the immigration laws of Russia were not identified before?

Deep rooted corruption in the government is gaining a stunning appearance. Twelve million army of disenfranchised migrant workers in Russia is a very attractive source of income for law enforcement agencies. Level of corruption in law enforcement institutions of Russia has reached the scale of a national catastrophe. Despite the symbolic fight with the “werewolves in epaulets”, the level of corruption and crime increases from year to year. It is very convenient to hang all kinds of labels on migrant workers, blaming them for all the ills of Russia and calling them “terrorists” or “Islamic fundamentalists”, rather than exposing the corrupt officials. FSB, Interior Ministry, Federal Migration Service, Ministry of Emergency Situations, and central and local governments – each of them has a tidbit of the pie called “migrant worker.”

The “Matveevskiy market” case gave a reason to the Federal Migration Service to announce its plans to create 83 camps across Russia for keeping illegal migrants, with a significant increase of the Service’s personnel. This means additional multi-million dollar budget allocations.

One such example is the creation in Golyanovo district a temporary camp for migrants, where more than five hundred people are kept in unsanitary conditions and without basic amenities. Russian authorities that have organized this camp were supposed to provide hot meals and all the necessary hygiene products for detainees. However, women, children and sick people were not provided with necessary medical care for several days until this unprecedented event had not become public.

This facility for illegal migrants is located in the campground, suitable only for warm weather. With cold weather coming to Russia, they become unsuitable for use. The question arises – where and how the authorities are planning to keep the detained illegal immigrants in the winter time?

According to reliable information, officers of law enforcement agencies of Russia allowed inhuman treatment towards migrant workers when conducting large-scale clean-up operations. There were cases when 3-5 years old children were separated from their parents – parents were arrested and the children were left unsupervised.

During yesterday’s interview, Andrey Isayev, chairman of the Duma Committee on Labor and Social Policy, told the newspaper “Izvestia” that the status of the deportation tent camps may be officially included into legislation in coming fall. The statements of the deputy only confirm the illegality of the existence of these camps at present.

It is the migrant workers, who are seen as responsible for the incident occurred between the citizens of Russia, not the main perpetrators – Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Federal Migration Service. Migrant workers from Central Asia, who often work in the most difficult and low-paid jobs, are in a particularly poor condition. Because of the socio-economic problems at home, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens are looking to find employment in all parts of Russia, often becoming victims of human trafficking.

Uzbekistani authorities completely renounced its citizens, calling them “lazy people” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCk9kesr26k). Migrants, completely deprived of any help from their government, are forced to solve their legal problems themselves frequently falling into traps of human traffickers.

The detention of migrant workers using weapons and brutal force of special services is an illegal and brutal technique, which is contrary to all norms of the international law.

The police stations of Moscow, the Moscow region and other major cities in Russia are illegally keeping detained migrant workers from Uzbekistan, whose main fault was to earn their living and support families by working in a foreign land. Women, men and children are all kept in the same rooms of the temporary detentions, as if they are perpetrators of crimes.

There are people among them, who need urgent medical attention, but the punitive measures of Russian law enforcement are denying them that opportunity. Lack of food, water, adequate medical care and legal protection put detained migrants in a critical position.

With the start of criminal acts committed by law enforcement bodies of Russia against the migrant workers, friends and relatives of detainees appealed to embassies and consulates of their countries in Russia. Senior officials from the embassies of Vietnam, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, worried about the fate of their citizens, came to the place of their detention to monitor the situation and inform the authorities in their home countries.

In search of justice, relatives and friends of the detained migrants from Uzbekistan have also repeatedly appealed for help to their country’s embassy in Moscow. Members of the diplomatic corps, aware of the very clear position of Uzbekistan’s iron-fisted president Islam Karimov towards his compatriots forced to work in Russia, have being ignoring all requests to help the migrant workers .

Given the current critical situation of migrant workers in Russia, the International human rights organization “Fiery Hearts Club” recommends:

– To the Government of the Russian Federation – to implement the experience of European countries in resolving the issue of illegal migrants.

– To UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – to intervene in the current situation and to take action against serious violations of rights of migrant workers in Russia and to take preventive actions.

– To the internal security department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia – to strengthen the fight against corruption among the personnel and rising their ethical and cultural levels.

– To the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation – to bring criminal charges against high-ranking officials of the Federal Migration Service and the Interior Ministry, who are contributing to the rise of corruption in these institutions.

– To the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Russian Federation – to provide effective assistance to their compatriots, who are victims of large-scale and xenophobic policy of the Russian authorities.

– To human rights organizations, regardless of their location – on August 13, 2013, to support in any form and join the rally of the committee “Civil Assistance”, dedicated to the illegal organization detention camp for migrant workers in Golyanovo district.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva

Head of the International Human Rights
Organization “Fiery Hearts Club”

Paris, France
August 10, 2013