Ombudsman sends an appeal to her Russian counterpart regarding cases of violence against migrants

The petition included a request to ensure the rights of Uzbek citizens working in Russia.

On January 17, Yekaterinburg’s Zheleznodorozhny District Prosecutor’s Office, the FSB’s Sverdlovsk Oblast Department, the Regional Migration Department, and the Yekaterinburg Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs conducted a raid on one of the construction sites with the armed support of the Russian Guard.

A total of 150 people were inspected. Eight of them violated immigration laws and will be deported. Four people who did not register for military service (according to a number of sources, they had Russian citizenship) were issued summonses.

Photos and videos online show security forces forcing migrant workers to duck across a snow-covered construction site.

It was not specified how many of the migrants were citizens of Uzbekistan. It is known that there were also citizens of Kyrgyzstan and other countries.

Sverdlovsk Oblast Ombudsman Tatyana Merzlyakova told URA.RU that she is investigating the situation. “It’s hard to believe that this happened,” she said, adding that such events are not unusual for Yekaterinburg.

According to the report of the Office of the Ombudsman of Uzbekistan, Feruza Eshmatova visited Russia in 2023 and met with Uzbeks working there.

“On the basis of the opinions of our compatriots, cooperation between the ombudsmen of Uzbekistan and Russia will be established, and work will be carried out on joint consideration of appeals, including ensuring the rights of our compatriots working on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the report reads.

Earlier, the Ombudsman reacted to the situation related to the raids on the workplaces of Uzbek migrants in Krasnodar. The Russian Ombudsman informed that she is monitoring the rights of migrants.