Labor migrants from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan report abuse during raid at Moscow construction site
Migrant workers from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have alleged they were subjected to degrading treatment during a raid at a construction site in Moscow, despite all of them reportedly possessing valid migration documents.
Migrant laborers from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan have reported mistreatment during a raid at a Moscow construction site.
According to a worker who spoke with Kun.uz, the event transpired on July 27 at a building site in the Russian capital. The witness stated that officers, believed to be conducting a migration enforcement operation, arrived while employees were performing their regular tasks.
The witness recounted that the officers gathered all the migrant workers, predominantly citizens of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, in one location. Before examining any identification or migration documents, the officers reportedly commanded the workers to move while on their knees.
"Only afterwards were our documents inspected. Everyone who had been forced to kneel had valid papers. No explanation was given for why we were treated that way. We believe they were officers from Russia's migration service," the source informed Kun.uz.
The raid reportedly occurred during working hours, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The witness indicated that the workers were distressed by the treatment, despite possessing all necessary documentation.
"This was nothing but humiliation. We had done nothing wrong," the source asserted.
Comparable incidents were reported last year, when Russian law enforcement agencies conducted raids targeting migrant workers in Moscow and St. Petersburg. During those operations, migrants also claimed they had been subjected to verbal abuse and excessive force.
Following those incidents, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to Russia's Foreign Ministry. In response at the time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow was carefully reviewing the information provided by the Uzbek side and would forward the request to the relevant authorities.