Russian Rights Activist Calls On EU To Change Asylum Policy

Russian human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina is calling on the European Union to revise its legislation on the treatment of Chechen refugees.

Chechen asylum seekers face an unforgiving bureaucratic environment in the EU. And far too many, she says, are being forced to return home, where they face persecution.

“What kind of problems do Chechens face in Europe? The main problem is legislation.They don’t have the status of refugees or any other protection. They cannot work, and of course that makes it very difficult for them. Even if they manage to receive the refugee status, this is such a long process that it causes continued stress.”

They are particularly critical of something called the “Dublin regulation,” which establishes that the EU member state a person first arrives in is ultimately responsible for examining their asylum application.