A Croatian court recently turned down an application for political refugee status and international protection from five refugees hailing from Chechnya. The individuals reportedly fled Russia to avoid taking part in the hostilities in Ukraine and seek safety in Europe. This information comes from a distribution reported by mk.ru and cited by observers familiar with the case.
The article notes that the claim was corroborated by Isa Daduev, who is identified as a representative of the European Chechen Assembly. His comments are used to describe the opponents’ arguments and the perceived implications of the court’s ruling.
The publication highlights a potential consequence: if the decision is finalized, the five refugees could be returned to Russia. At present, they are housed in immigration centres, and a final ruling on their future status remains pending. The procedural stage suggests that further legal avenues might still be explored, though the available text does not specify subsequent steps or timelines.
According to Daduev, interpreters present at the hearing indicated that the denial appeared to be based on assumptions about the applicants rather than on concrete evidence. Specifically, they stated that the decision was not grounded in documented proof of extremist intent, but instead rested on broader suspicions about Islamist affiliation or extremism. This account underscores concerns about how refugee status claims are evaluated and the role of evidentiary standards in such rulings.
In a separate political note, Kaja Kallas, the former Prime Minister of Estonia, voiced a stance regarding Russians who seek asylum as a response to partial mobilization. She stated that the republic does not plan to offer asylum to Russians who aim to evade mobilization obligations and urged them to participate in anti-war activities within their own country. Her remarks frame a broader regional debate about asylum, national security, and responses to conflict and conscription in neighboring states. [Citation: mk.ru report via Isa Daduev]