Human Rights Watch (HRW) has published a report illustrating a concerning escalation of xenophobia directed at Central Asian migrants in Russia. The report, released on Monday, details a pattern of hate speech, violence, and administrative and legislative harassment that has intensified in the wake of the tragic Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow in March 2024.
The HRW report underscores the proliferation of anti-migrant legislation in Russia since the attack. One prominent legislative change is an amendment to the Code of Administrative Offences, which gives authorities the power to expel migrants without judicial oversight, raising concerns about potential corruption due to the absence of judicial review as noted in a report by TASS. Another new law will soon bar children of foreign nationals from attending schools if they do not pass language proficiency tests, as discussed in the Russian Duma.
Beyond legal amendments, at least 12 Russian regions have imposed employment restrictions on migrants. HRW describes these bans as disproportionate and unjustified, asserting that they conflict with international standards prohibiting discrimination.
Administrative harassment of Central Asian migrants is also on the rise, according to the HRW findings. The report documents prevalent hate speech, increased ethnic profiling, and reports of abusive conditions during detention by law enforcement and immigration officers. There were 232 documented cases of serious injuries from hate-motivated attacks in the initial months of 2024 alone, as gleaned from independent Russian NGOs and research entities.
Nationalist groups like Severnyy Chelovek, Russkaya Obshchina, and Obyknovenny Tsarizm are increasingly active, participating in anti-migrant operations alongside police and orchestrating xenophobic campaigns.
Migrants also face difficulties stemming from Russia’s illegal activities in Ukraine. The government has offered citizenship to migrants serving in the military, yet also enacted a law to revoke citizenship of those who do not comply with military service registration. HRW reports instances of forced military recruitment and labor exploitation in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions.
Russia’s position as a signatory to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination obliges it to combat racial discrimination effectively. HRW advocates for Russia to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, and to implement measures to combat discrimination against Central Asian migrants.
For more on this developing situation, read the full report by HRW on JURIST – News.