As we had earlier reported, on October 5 there was a peaceful demonstration in the city of Strasbourg, France.

A rally started in front of the Council of Europe building at around 12:30 and continued for more than two hours. During the demonstration, some Chechen refugees -including children- held a placard which said, “Give us our Right to Live”! Some of the refugees held banners stating, “Chechens in Poland are under harrassment!”, “Don’t throw us out!” etc..

The participants also handed out leaflets that explained the inhumane situation in Poland and France for Chechen asylum seekers, explaining the reasons why they ask for refugee status, which is for humanitarian reasons.

Around 60 people attended the demonstration, most of which were French citizens who came to support the Chechen refugees. Musa Taipov, the representative of Chechen Republic Ichkeria in France was also among the protesters.

Here is the text of the leaflets:

We are the Chechen refugees, who are citizens of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria that we were forced to leave. We want to urge you about the situation of the refugees in the city of Strasbourg. We are in a desperate situation; every day another one of our friends is being deported to Poland and then to Russia via Poland.

This is a final call for help that is addressed to Council of Europe Parliament Assembly (PACE), which is the defender of human rights, social and humanitarian associations and all citizens. You can not remain deaf to the plight of the oppressed and the persecuted. We were forced to flee from our homeland because of our political or religious views. We have escaped a conflict and we are forced to live in exile in a foreign country to save our lives and our children’s lives.

Today, we call for help because our situation has become unbearable and we ask you to hear our plight and to understand our reality.

Many of us have crossed the Polish border in order to reach Strasbourg, France and other European countries. The Chechens are fleeing from persecution and do not feel safe in Poland, thus they leave Poland. In Poland, there are plenty of incidents, arrests, persecutions and even murders.

The Russian secret service, or the FSB, appears and eventually the Chechen people begin to disappear. For unexplained and inexplicable reasons, the histories and records of Chechen people in Poland are falling into the hands of the FSB. This is when the problems start in Poland, as well back in our homeland, where our relatives begin to be harassed.

We are afraid so we move to France based on our confidence that France is a democratic state. But today, the police are chasing us back to Poland and France refuses to examine the basis of our claims. Furthermore, they do not give us shelter; people sleep in the churches and in the streets. The rights of our children are being violated; families are separated, and mother and child are removed from each other.

The police showed up at the hotels at night and expelled the Chechens. Even after six months of waiting, they will not let us stay in France due to the Dublin Regulation. We protest the situation, because the policy of the prefect of the Bas-Rhin region creates tragedy on a daily basis. We are afraid to go home, as well as to Poland where they are intensifying the deportations to Russia. Now we are afraid here.

We appeal to all of you who are familiar with this tragedy. We are asking you to reach out to support us and not abandon us.

You are our last hope. We are afraid to return, they will kill us.

Hear us and stretch out your hands!

Give us the right to live!

*The photos were taken by the correspondent of Waynakh Online
**Text was written and translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco