Hamburg based German radio and television broadcaster “Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR – North German Broadcasting)” has reported that three male Chechen asylum seekers are at risk of extradition from Germany.

According to the report, in 2005, Hamburg police arrested three young Chechens suspected of terrorism. It turned out later that they were innocent but their images were already shown around the world as terrorists. Their families, who are still living in the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, are threatened because of this news. Around one month ago, the Hamburg Parliament started to discuss the fate of the Chechens. The Social Democratic Party of Germany (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, SPD) which has the majority of the Hamburg Parliament, wants to extradite them but the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands, CDU), the Hamburg state branch of the Green Party (Grün-Alternative Liste Hamburg, GAL), the Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei, FDP) and the Left Party (Linkspartei, Linke) all strongly oppose the idea.

“For years, there has been a consesus not to send citizens from Chechnya back,” said Antje Möller, one of the deputies from GAL.

“My family lives in Chechnya. I have really big problems at home. My mother has great stress because the Russian military forces are looking for me and asking when I will return,” said one of the young Chechens. His lawyer, Jens Niedrig told German authorities, “I belive that if this guy enters Chechnya, he will be killed or at least will face torture or severe treatment”.

*Text was translated by Waynakh Online and edited by Michael Capobianco