The report provides an overview of the situation of Chechens living in Russia, outside of the North Caucasus. By examining the situation using a variety of sources and focusing on different topics such as legal requirements, the criminal justice system, socio-economic circumstances, and the role of the authorities, together with closer examination of the situation for a number of specific groups, including returnees, the aim is to present a coherent account of the current situation.
In the first chapter, an overview of the Chechen communities in Russia outside of the North Caucasus region is given, including the size and location of the communities and specific information on the largest communities.
In Chapter 2, legal requirements such as procedures for renewing internal passport, obtaining external passport, and registering for residence is examined from both a procedural and a practical perspective.
Chapter 3 includes four aspects of socio-economic circumstances: housing, education, work, and health care. Each section includes a subsection on how the topic intersects with residence registration, how the system works in Russia, and how specifically the access for Chechens is in each area.
In Chapter 4, the situation for the following profiles are presented: women, separated into single and married, LGBT persons, children, Chechens eligible for military service, and human rights activists and dissidents.
The criminal justice system is presented in Chapter 5 through the following subsections: treatment by police (including the subject of identity checks), criminal cases against Chechens, reporting a crime, the complaints procedure, legal remedies, access to lawyers, and the rights to appeal.
In the sixth chapter, Chechen authorities’ potential information exchange with Russian federal authorities is examined, as well as the role of the Chechen community in providing information to the Chechen authorities and the Chechen authorities’ cooperation with the federal authorities.
In the last chapter, the reception of Chechens returnees is looked into.
This report was co-drafted by Country of Origin Information (COI) specialists from the COI units and asylum offices in the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and the Netherlands.
The initial drafting of this report was finalised on 30 April 2018. No new research has been conducted after, although complementing information has been included after the peer review phase.
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology.
The following national asylum and migration departments reviewed the report, together with EASO:
Austria, Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum, Country of Origin Information Department
Belgium, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, Cedoca (Center for Documentation and Research)
Estonia, Police and Border Guard Board, Intelligence Management and Investigation Department, Intelligence Management Bureau
France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA), Information, Documentation and Research Division
Poland, Office for Foreigners, Department for Refugee Procedures, Country of Origin Information Unit
Policy
The policy implemented by the Commissioner General is based on a thorough analysis of accurate and up-to-date information on the general situation in the country of origin. This information is collated in a professional manner from various, objective sources, including the EASO, the UNHCR, relevant international human rights organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional literature and coverage in the media. When determining policy, the Commissioner General does not only examine the COI Focuses written by Cedoca and published on this website, as these deal with just one aspect of the general situation in the country of origin. The fact that a COI Focus could be out-of-date does not mean that the policy that is being implemented by the Commissioner General is no longer up-to-date.
When assessing an application for asylum, the Commissioner General not only considers the actual situation in the country of origin at the moment of decision-making, he also takes into account the individual situation and personal circumstances of the applicant for international protection. Every asylum application is examined individually. An applicant must comprehensively demonstrate that he has a well-founded fear of persecution or that there is a clear personal risk of serious harm. He cannot, therefore, simply refer back to the general conditions in his country, but must also present concrete, credible and personal facts.
There is no policy paper for this country available on the website.