Thirteen Uzbeks held in Tula for eight months say ministry and embassy has failed to help

The issue came to light on 27 September, when Kun.uz published an appeal from the 13 Uzbeks currently being held. According to them, the group – including five women – had worked at the Zolotoy Gorod recreation complex in the Kireyevsky district of Tula region. When their documents expired, the police detained them for violating migration rules.

The detainees said they had repeatedly asked to be deported, even offering to pay for their own tickets home, since the conditions in the detention facility were harsh and access to food and medical care was inadequate. Despite their pleas, they remain behind bars.

According to Ahror Burkhanov, the official spokesperson for Uzbekistan’s MFA, both the ministry and the country’s diplomatic mission in Russia have long been aware of the situation.

“We are aware of this issue and have appealed twice. Our embassy representatives are currently in contact with the Russian side,” said the MFA spokesperson.

The Embassy of Uzbekistan in Russia also issued a statement on 2 October, noting that the matter was under special control.

“Regarding the appeal from Uzbek citizens being held in a temporary detention facility in Russia’s Tula region, we report the following. The embassy has sent official inquiries to the Russian law enforcement authorities concerning this matter. The issue has been placed under the special supervision of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Moscow,” the statement read.

However, five days have passed since then, and the situation remains unchanged. On 7 October, Kun.uz again spoke with the detainees, who said there had been no progress.

“It’s completely silent. No news at all. We wrote to the embassy, but there’s no response. No one is helping us. If the embassy intervened, maybe they’d release us,” one detainee said.

It should be noted that the detainees were also offered to join the war in Ukraine, but they refused.