Chechen refugee detained in Minsk, faces death back home Updated

Luiza Dudurkaeva, a 21-year-old refugee from Chechnya, has been detained today at the Minsk airport and given into hands of her family, according to Valentina Likhoshva of the Murmansk-based Maximum initiative and the girl’s lawyer, who accompanied her to Norway, where she was given asylum.

On September 3, Luiza Dudurkaeva left Murmansk for Moscow, in order to board an Oslo-bound plane in Minsk.

On September 4, after arriving at the Minsk airport, Luiza Dudurkaeva and her companions passed passport and customs control. However, they were then returned to the control point. The Chechen refugee was taken to the interrogation room. Her lawyer was not allowed to accompany the girl, despite the fact that he had a notarized power of attorney to represent her interests. As it became known later, Dudurkaeva was questioned by a criminal investigator, who refused to produce his ID, only showing a paper saying that the girl was on the wanted list as a missing person.

After questioning, Luiza said that she was going home with her father, who had come to the airport in search of her daughter.

Human rights activists believe that police officers gave information about the girl’s intention to flee the country and her whereabouts to her relatives against her will, and her life is in danger in Chechnya.

“Luiza has a presuicidal condition. I believe that she changed her mind under the influence of threats of her father, who was present during the interrogation. At the same time, her representative was not allowed in for questioning. The chances of that on her return to Chechnya she is killed are extremely high. I seriously fear for her life and health. Meanwhile, Belarusian police officers openly mocked her and us,” psychologist Valentina Likhoshva said.

Luiza Dudurkaeva fled Chechnya in late June. She was forced to leave after the publication of her private photos in the community "Carthage" in the Russian social network VKontakte. Luiza reportedly received threats from other users. The girl was assisted by human rights activists and on August 31 she received refugee documents and a Schengen visa from the Kingdom of Norway, novayagazeta.ru said.

The closed group "Carthage" has more than 53 thousand participants. They publish photos of Chechen girls who, in their opinion, behave immorally. The community administrators urge their relatives to "sort out" their behavior.