The daily provincial French newspaper, Ouest-France, has reported that a Chechen family, including two young children, has been closed inside of a detention center in France.

According to the information, on February 6, about 40 asylum seekers were evicted from a church in Quizac, Brest because of their illegal occupation. There was a Chechen family with their two children, ages 4 and 6, among the evicted people; they were arrested during the identity check and sent to a detention center (CRA) in the city of Rennes. Now, the Chechen family faces extradition to Poland, where they first entered the European Union.

The situation facing the family outraged many local associations and they gathered in front of the detention center in Rennes on February 7. They could speak with the family through the grilles. It was a difficult scene to see a crying mother holding her 4 year old daughter in her arms.

During the protest, organizations such as Education Without Borders (RESF 35), Movement Against Racism and For Friendship Between People (MRAP35) and A Roof, It is a Right reminded the current French President François Hollande’s of his written statement to to the association on February 20, 2012 during his election campaign: ‘I want to make a commitment, if I am elected President of the Republic, from the end of May 2012, there will be no more children or families with children in detention centers’.

“The last time there were children in the detention center in Rennes, was June. Since then, there was a circular from the Interior Minister Manuel Vals, that asked authorities to focus on alternative methods like home care. There is even a condamnation from the Euoropean Court of Human Rights against France in this issue, unfortunately the Interior Minister’s circular doesn’t prohibit the detention of children” said Charlotte Joyau, from the French NGO Cimade.

On the other hand, Finistère governship’s general secretary Martin Jaeger said that they will send the Chechen family back to Poland and advocated their action. He claimed that they don’t lock up children, but they ensure that the family will back in Poland because they managed two times get out of it, thus they put themselves in this situation.

The Chechen family had problems in the Russian occupied Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and for this reason they left their homeland. They belive that if they are extradited to Poland, they will be sent back to Russia. Now, they have 48 hours to apply to the administrative court for an examination.

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

©Waynakh Online