Moscow terror attack - The Times Of Central Asia

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Citizens of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan Warned Against Non-Essential Travel to Russia

Citizens of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are warned against traveling to Russia, reportedly due to “additional security measures and enhanced border controls” imposed by the Russian government. On September 10, the Tajik embassy in Moscow advised Tajiks “to temporarily refrain from traveling to the Russian Federation unless necessary.” Similar advice was issued by Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs the same advice on September 5, in the statement: “In connection with the continuation of additional security measures introduced on the territory of Russia and the regime of enhanced control over the passage of foreign citizens across the state border, the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Russian Federation recommends that citizens of the Kyrgyz Republic who do not have compelling reasons for entering the Russian Federation temporarily refrain from traveling to its territory until the above measures are lifted.” Given that remittances sent by Central Asian immigrants are the primary source of financial support for many families, the warning may have serious economic consequences for immigrants working in Russia. For context, this warning is one of many. After the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, restrictions on the entry of Central Asians into Russia were announced several times. The issue of immigrants remains controversial in Russia. For example, a Russian diplomat recently proposed a temporary moratorium on Russian citizenship for Central Asians, whilst another deputy suggested that the government impose a ban on immigrants.

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Central Asian Entrepreneurs in Russia Shutting Down Hospitality Businesses Due to Xenophobia, Police Inspections

As previously reported by TCA, cafes and restaurants in Russia run by business owners from Central Asia have begun to close en masse. Following the terrorist attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow on March 22, for which several Tajik nationals have been detained and charged as the perpetrators, preexisting anti-migrant sentiment in Russia has intensified. Since that time, 75% of cafes and restaurants run by Central Asian migrants in Moscow alone have shut, with their owners citing xenophobia and harassment by the police. According to the Current Time news portal, police have sharply stepped up checks on newcomers, mostly Central Asians, over the past month. Raids against migrants are going on all over the country. Many migrants have already left Russia because of this - or refused to visit public places, including cafes. Café and restaurant owners have therefore suffered losses, and many have been forced to cease operations altogether. Police inspections of cafes and restaurants frequented by migrants have also increased - which is also not good for business. Migrants from other countries who work in the hospitality industry in Russia have also stated that increased xenophobia and raids after the terrorist attack have hit the restaurant business particularly hard. Those pressures - coupled with painfully high Russian inflation for food, goods, labor, and more - have made operations in the hospitality sector unprofitable for many whose livelihoods depend on it.

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Tajikistan Denounces “Torture” of Tajik Suspects in Moscow Attack, Urges Fair Trial

Tajikistan’s foreign minister has described the beating and abuse of several Tajik suspects in the mass killing of more than 140 people at a Russian concert hall as “torture” that is at odds with the need for a thorough investigation and a fair trial. Foreign Minister, Sirojiddin Muhriddin also said that Tajik people had faced an “information campaign” of racism and xenophobia since the attack at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22. His comments were some of the strongest yet by Tajikistan’s Government, reflecting increased worry over the national image and the plight of many poor Tajik migrants in Russia who were already living in precarious conditions. Muhriddin urged the Russian authorities to conduct an investigation into the Crocus City Hall attack according to international norms, including the right to a fair trial, reported Asia-Plus, a media group in Tajikistan. He spoke at a meeting of regional foreign ministers in Minsk, Belarus. “The demonstration in the open information space of footage of the detention of suspected perpetrators of a terrorist act with the use of torture against them in the form of bodily mutilation is unacceptable,” Muhriddin said. “The price of confessions obtained in this way is well known to everyone.” Several migrant laborers from Tajikistan were among suspects charged with terrorism in the wake of the attack, and they appeared in court with visible injuries. At the time, videos and photographs circulating on social media showed the men being beaten and abused while in detention. In one video, a man in camouflage cuts off part of the ear of a suspect and forces it into his mouth. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack, which focused attention on the group’s efforts to recruit people from Central Asia into its ranks. Muhriddin alluded to widespread reports of harassment and hostility toward Tajik migrants, particularly in Russia. “As a result of an ill-conceived information campaign, a negative perception of citizens of Tajikistan and Tajiks is being formed,” the Tajik foreign minister said. As for the attack, he said: “All criminals must be punished: the organizers, the perpetrators, the accomplices, and the masterminds of this monstrous crime.” In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, despite ongoing Russian attempts to pin the blame for the atrocity on Ukraine, Russia has pressed ahead with new laws targeting migrants. Focusing on Russia’s “unreliable narrative” regarding the attack, Noah Tucker, a Senior Research Consultant at the Oxus Society and Program Associate of the Central Asia Program at George Washington University stated that the “last major attack inside Russia was the 2017 metro bombing. [In a] strategy of authoritarian cooperation… that was also blamed on Central Asian migrants, and the security services arrested two Uzbek brothers and sent them to jail as the direct orchestrators of the attack – only the facts never added up… One of the brothers, who was charged as being the mastermind, was lying in a hospital in Osh during the attack, and...

Moscow terror attack

Kyrgyz Teenager Saved Lives During Moscow Terror Attack

The spokesman for Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov made a call to the teenager Islam Khalilov and his parents, to express his admiration for the young man's actions during the Moscow terror attack on March 22. Khalilov, who was one of two teenagers working in the coat-check room at the Crocus Concert Hall, helped save people from the terrorists. "I spoke on the phone with Islam, who saved hundreds of lives during the tragic event in Moscow. His father, Bakhtiyar, is from Suzak district [in Jalal-Abad region] and his mother, Ai-Peri, is from Ozgon. Glory to our hero," President Japarov's spokesman, Dayiryek Orunbekov wrote on his Facebook page, posting a video of the conversation. Islam Khalilov said of the attack: "At first it was a normal working day, then there were strange sounds. We thought maybe the escalator broke down or maybe it came from a drunken [crowd]. Then people started running out, screaming. I realized at that moment that I had to act. I immediately did [everything I could] because I realized that if I stood there in shock, I would lose my life [alongside] the lives of hundreds of people." According to Khalilov, when he saw a large group of people were moving in panic towards a dead end, he led the concertgoers behind him. The young man opened an emergency door and was able to lead the crowd into the hall's service area, through which people were able to get outside and escape the terrorists. Together with another teenager, Artem Donskov, who also worked part-time in the concert hall's coat-check room, they helped people evacuate the hall, and more than once returned to the site of the attack to save more people. According to Khalilov, he along with other administrative staff at Crocus Concert Hall were given instructions on what to do in the event of a terrorist attack - and during the attack they followed these instructions to the letter. According to Russian security forces, as of March 24, 137 people had been killed and 182 injured as a result of the attack on the concert hall. More than 6,000 people were in the building at the time of the attack. Alexander Bastrykin, Head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, has instructed his agency to consider awarding the schoolboys departmental honors for their bravery.