Press Release, 14.05.2014

The members of Committee Against Xenophobia conducted a meeting in YABLOKO’s office on May 14. They analysed the results of their activities and announced about the two coming events: a rally in memory of the deported folks on May 18 and showing of the Haytarma film about the deportation of the Crimean Tatars in Stalin’s time on May 19.

The Committee members noted that the deportation problem was becoming more and more popular. In April Vladimir Putin signed a decree on rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatars and other folks of the Crimea who suffered from reprisals.

The Committee’s coordinator Galina Mikhaleva mentioned the importance of the fact that the authorities allowed to conduct the rally. “Such a rally is the first in history. We are going to speak not only of the Crimean Tatars though it’s a very important day but about all the deported folks,” she said.

The Committee decided to make banners giving information about the deported folks and the number of the deported people.

President of the cross-regional Uzbek community Vatandosh Usman Baratov said that the reprisals against labour migrants continue in some way. If a migrant committed administrative violation they won’t be allowed to enter Moscow or the Moscow region. According to Federal Migration Service, about 200 thousand migrants are not allowed to enter the Moscow region, approximately 150 thousand are not allowed to enter Moscow. The total number around the country is 800 thousand and it continues to grow.

President of the “Migration of XXI century” foundation Vechyaslav Postavin said that the problem would remain on paper until the mechanisms of struggle against illegal migration were developed. “We have neither infrastructure, nor mechanisms of struggle against illegal migration. The deportation camps in Russia are scaled only for 1000 migrants. Therefore the decision to limit the movement of 800 thousand people is irrational. Actually these people are not deported and they have to move to illegal way of life,” said the expert.

According to Postavin, that would lead to the appearance of classical illegal migrants who would be afraid to leave Russia fearing they wouldn’t be able to come back.

The Committee members discussed the coming Haytarma film showing in the Journalists House, Moscow. The film was earlier screened in YABLOKO’s office and made a great impression on the viewers. The film also won the Nika Award, the main annual national film award in Russia.

Members of the Committee called everyone to come at the rally and the film screening.

Galina Mikhaleva

Vechyaslav Postavin

Usman Baratov