To: UN Secretary-General, Mr.Ban Ki-moon (Ban Ki-moon)

The head of UNHCR, Mr.Antonio Guterres

UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake

President of the European Commission, Mr.Jose Manuel Barroso

Dear Sirs,

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” brings to your notice its acute concern about the dramatic fate of the refugees and migrant workers from Central Asia, who have no choice but to work in Russia. The policy of “closed doors”, pursued by the leaders of the authoritarian Central Asian countries, is serving as a detonator to the labor migration of millions of people.

Under the pretext of fighting “Islamic extremism and international terrorism”, the Uzbek government is actually struggling with the progressive part of the civil society, who wants to carry out economic reforms in the country. Harassment and fabrication of criminal cases against practicing Muslims in Uzbekistan is widespread. Blaming Muslims for religious extremism or infringement on the state’s constitutional order is based on confessions obtained under torture or questionable testimonies of others. Despite the seriousness of the charges, such processes take place behind closed doors and without the participation of observers, and the defendants denied access to independent legal counsel.

A certain part of civil society activists and adherents of traditional Islam, fleeing persecutions and torture, have to separate from their families and seek asylum in neighboring countries with the UNHCR. Despite the fact that refugees have the mandate of the asylum seekers, their lives are still in danger. At the request of the Uzbek authorities, intelligence services in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan arrest and hand over asylum seekers to their Uzbek colleagues.

Uzbek special services operate seamlessly in neighboring countries and search for citizens objectionable to government authorities in order to send them back to their homeland, where they face horrific torture and ill treatment. Thus, the dictatorial regime of Islam Karimov destroys any manifestation of protest against his bloody politics.

Russia’s leadership has long been used to strengthen its position in the region using social problems and instability in the Central Asian countries, loyally supporting their authoritarian leaders. Vladimir Putin, governing Russia for the past thirteen years, has turned into an absolute ruler of the country.

“With the start of Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term in May 2012, the Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society unprecedented in the country’s post-Soviet history”, that is how Putin was described in the April report of the reputable human rights organization Human Rights Watch.

Tighter controls on civil society and freedom of speech, the start of the repression campaign against labor migrants and the policy of double standards are reasons to consider Russia an authoritarian country.

Shining example of Putin’s hypocritical policy of double standards is his statement made on July 1, 2013. At a press conference on the results of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, responding to reporters’ questions about handing Edward Snowden to U.S. authorities, Putin affirmatively stated that “Russia had never given anyone to anywhere, and is not going to”. (See the statement here www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdhi1Nsx81g).

International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club” has facts that prove that the Russian special services on request of their colleagues from the Central Asian countries illegally or forcibly returned asylum seekers sent back to their homeland, where they face tortured. There have been many cases when Uzbek security forces forcibly abducted asylum seekers from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

The tragic story of Zulhumor Alizhanova, citizen of Uzbekistan, and her four young children is a clear example for this. In 2011, her husband Havasbek Alizhanov had to leave his family in Andijan and move to a safer area. Andijan city, a place of bloody events that happened in May 2005, when president Islam Karimov mercilessly ordered to shoot at a peaceful demonstration, is now under special control of the Uzbek security services.

Regional intelligence Havasbek Alizhanov and used cruel torture to get false testimonies against his neighbors, who were accused of alleged “religious extremism”, and made him to cooperate with authorities. Unable to withstand the torture, he was forced to sign an agreement on cooperation with the Uzbek security services. But after he was released, Havasbek had no desire to participate in the treacherous intrigues of the Uzbek security services, and therefore, he fled to Russia, where, upon his arrival, asked the authorities of the country to grant him political asylum.

After fleeing of Alizhanov from Uzbekistan, intelligence services began to terrorize his wife Zulhumor Alizhanova demanding the immediate return of her husband. Deprived of funds and concerned for her safety, she was also forced to leave four young children with her mother and flee to Russia. Upon arrival in Moscow, Zulhumor also asked the authorities of the country for political asylum.

Yet, the Uzbek secret services did not leave the Alizhanovs alone in Andijan. Frequent threats and security officials’ visiting the house of Zulhumor’s mother’s and concern for the fate of the children, they were forced to make a very dangerous decision. On an unguarded part of the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border, relatives illegally passed Alizhanovs’ children into neighboring Kyrgyzstan. Due to the support UNHCR in Bishkek, children were provided with shelter, food, and clothing.

In early October of this year, Zulhumor decided to take a desperate step – go to Bishkek for their small children to reunite the family in Russia. Due to the fact that the Alizhanov’s spent two years in an extreme situation and outside the country of origin, it was obvious and natural that Zulhumor failed to prepare all required documents for taking the children abroad.

When passing the border control at the “Domodedovo” airport in Moscow, because of formal problems with their ​​documents, Zulhumor and her children were not allowed to enter Russia. Despite the fact that Havasbek Alizhanov was waiting for his family at the arrival hall, the airport police forcefully attempted to send a defenseless woman with four small children back to Bishkek. Only a strong will of Zulhumor and stir she raised in the departure lounge stopped them from being sent back.

After unsuccessful attempts to deport the family, airport police transferred them to the transit area, where mother and four children, who experienced very strong psychological stress, are still being kept in a room without basic amenities, with a group of to-be-deported men. Alizhanovs’ four children: a 15-years-old boy, and the girls of 12, 10 and 3 years, are morally very exhausted and in need of medical care.

Keeping four young children in a confined space without access to fresh air and freedom of movement can critically affect their mental development. The facts that these children have experienced the power and impact of the repressive system of the Uzbek authorities, long-term separation from their parents, violent actions taken by police at “Domodedovo” airport against them and their mother only reinforce our concern for their fate.

We are also concerned that Russian authorities’ policy of double standards may affect the Alizhanovs. We strongly believe that the international humanitarian organizations must get involved to solve the problem of the Uzbek family.

Dear Sirs, local armed conflicts taking place in the modern world and the presence of totalitarian countries force millions of people to leave their homes and seek safer places. The refugee problem is particularly relevant in the EU. International Human Rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club”, based on the humanitarian principles of the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, calls you to show attention to the fate Zulhumor Alizhanova’s family and take active participation in solving the problems they face.

Mutabar Tadjibayeva,

Head of International human rights Association “Fiery Hearts Club”

October 8, 2013

Paris, France