Central Asian migrants in Russia have met with increased harassment and violence since four Tajik men were arrested for the deadly terror attack on Moscow's Crocus City Hall on March 22, 2024.
The attack left more than 140 people dead and more than 550 injured in what was the worst such attack in Russia in years.
The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility.
“After a year, there have seen significant changes in the migration climate in Russia,” says migration expert Rahmon Ulmasov.
“Firstly, migrants not only from Tajikistan, but also from Central Asia, primarily from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, have been treated very harshly. Secondly, the [Russian government] adopted several resolutions, which made it more difficult to recruit migrants.”
The Russian authorities amended legislation in the summer of 2024 to give the police more powers to expel migrants without court orders.
A recent Human Rights Watch (HRW) report highlighted a surge in ethnic profiling and arbitrary arrests of Central Asians in Russia as well as increased instances of xenophobia and cruelty by far-right nationalist groups.
They found video evidence of coordinated physical assaults by young Slavic-looking men on Central Asian men working in construction, maintenance, and service sectors.
The videos were filmed by the assailants and posted online.
'Pressure And Intimidation'
HRW also claims that Russian authorities have targeted Central Asians for military recruitment, using arbitrary detention and threats of deportation to force them to enlist for the war in Ukraine.
“Muslims in Russia have been under different types of pressure and intimidation for some time,” says political scientist Emil Juraev.
“This was before the events in [Crocus City Hall] and after that. We see it all the time. We see how mosques are being raided. And that was happening even before [the attack].”
The four main Tajik suspects have yet to face trial.
All four appeared to have been beaten when they appeared in court in March 2024. At least 23 other suspects were detained.
Gulrakat Mirzoeva, the mother of one of the suspects, Dalerjon Mirzoev, claims he is innocent.
“I just look at my phone. I see pictures of the same man. I see my baby [was beaten] black and blue, that's all. It's been a year since they've called me. Maybe it's my fault. I’m not wealthy enough to visit him. I don't want anything. Our situation is already miserable.”
Russia depends heavily on migrant labor with close to 3.3 million workers from Central Asia working in Russia in 2024.
