Thirteen Uzbek citizens held in Russian detention for 8 months Call for repatriation

A group of 13 Uzbekistan's citizens, including five women, have appealed for urgent assistance after being held for eight months in a temporary detention facility in Russia’s Tula region, for immigration violations.

In a statement shared with Kun.uz, one of the detainees, identified as F.D., said the group had repeatedly appealed to the Uzbek embassy, consular offices, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting to be repatriated—but to no avail, Caliber.Az reports. 

“We have been here for eight months. Every day we live in difficult conditions. Among us are five women. We have appealed many times to the embassy, the consulate, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but nothing has changed,” F.D. said.

The group had been employed at the “Zolotoy Gorod” recreation center in the Kireyevsky district of Tula before being detained by police after their residency and work documents expired.

They claim they are not being held as criminals but as “witnesses.” The men are currently being held in the Kireyevsky district’s detention facility, while the five women are detained at a separate center located on Aleksinsky highway in Tula city.

According to the detainees, the conditions are harsh, with inadequate food, poor medical care, and long periods of uncertainty. Some members of the group report being offered the option to go and fight in Ukraine, which they refused.

The group says they already possess tickets for their return to Uzbekistan and are even willing to cover the costs of their own deportation.

Despite multiple attempts to reach out to Uzbek diplomatic missions in Russia, they say they have received no response or support.

Kun.uz reports that it holds the full list and personal details of the 13 detained citizens.

By Sabina Mammadli