Five Chechen refugees, who fled Russia to avoid being forced to take part in the war against Ukraine, have had their applications for political asylum denied by a Croatian court.

 They are currently detained in a migration center and face possible deportation to Russia.

 The detainees had left Russia via Turkey and arrived in Croatia in transit, intending to travel to other European countries.

 Isa Daduyev, representative of the Assembly of Chechens in Europe, said: “The interpreters who participated in the court said that the refusal was made without any evidence and was based on mere assumptions that the asylum seekers were Islamist extremists.

 “This is a very biased decision.”

 The Chechen citizens cited their unwillingness to participate in the war against Ukraine as one of the reasons behind their emigration.

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 They are now awaiting a final decision from the Croatian authorities about whether or not to deport them and where to.

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