Volunteer Squads Chase Illegal Migrants In Russia
▻http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-illegal-migrants-patrols/24900274.html
Moscow authorities have announced the creation of a volunteer squad to help track down illegal migrants, a move human rights advocates say opens the door to abuse and violence.
Hours later, as dusk settled on February 12, a dozen volunteers donning dark-red vests with the inscription “immigration patrol” were dispatched into the streets.
Officials insist that squad members are carefully screened and undergo compulsory training. Aggressive individuals and ultranationalists, they say, are rejected.
But rights advocates are nonetheless sounding the alarm.
“I’m very upset by the rise of xenophobia that I observe in the city and in the country,” says Svetlana Gannushkina, a prominent human rights campaigner specializing in migrants’ rights.
“These raids will be conducted not by law enforcement organs but by ordinary citizens, and I can just imagine what kind of enthusiasts will participate. They will bring nothing but more xenophobia, abuse, and divisions in society.”
#Russie #milice #ultranationalisme #extrême_droite #xénophobie #migration