Press release, 20.02.2016
On 20 February, Moscow YABLOKO Youth activists conducted a series of one-person pickets demanding that the Moscow City Property Department must return the premises to the Centre for the Adaptation and Training of Refugee Children. The Centre was evicted from its premises on Thursday.

The Centre for the Adaptation and Training of Refugee Children is a project of the non-governmental organisation Civil Assistance Committee which was added to the list of “foreign agents” in April 2015. For nearly 20 years the Centre has been helping the refugee children to adapt to the life in Moscow, learn the Russian language and get prepared for school. At the moment the Centre is training 70 refugee children from Syria, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, the Philippines, African nations and the Republic of Chechnya.

According to Dozhd TV Channel, on 18 February, the representatives of the Moscow Property Department forced the lock of the Centre premises and set an alarm system.

In May 2015, the authorities decided to deprive the Centre of the premises without explaining any reasons. Human rights defenders claim the eviction is connected with the fact that the NGO had been added to “foreign agents” list. The Centre appealed to court against the decision of the Moscow Proterty Department to cancel the lease agreement. The court hearings have not taken place yet. Moreover, the Prosecutor’s office warned the Centre that they can be evicted only by court decision.

“The Centre for Adaptation and Training of Refugee Children is doing very important work, they teach the children the Russian language and help them to adapt to a life in a foreign country. The state must support such organisations in every way instead of declaring them “foreign agents” and evicting from their premises,” deputy Chair of Moscow YABLOKO Youth Maria Yefimova commented.