The Austrian newspaper “Die Oberösterreichischen Nachrichten” has reported that a Chechen mother and her two children are facing extradition from Austria.

According to the news, a 42 year old Chechen woman’s husband and two brothers were abducted in 2003 by Russian military forces and since then there has been no news about their fate. After years of persecution, the Chechen woman was forced to leave the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria with her children in the summer of 2008, when they arrived in Austria through Poland. But, the Chechen mother, her 18 year old daughter and 11 year old son may be extradited at anytime from Austria because their asylum application was recently rejected for a third time.

“They all speak very good German, they are very well integrated and great danger awaits them in their homeland,” said social worker, Eva Hofer.

Former ORF Moscow correspondent Susanne Scholl is also trying to help the family. “Since all of the male relatives of this woman are missing or dead, her son Imam will be the next one, if they return. There is a real danger for the family, therefore they shouldn’t be sent back to Chechnya. Our last hope is for a humanitarian stay, we have already presented a petition which was signed by more than 500 people. Now, the Wels-Land district management will decide on it,” said Scholl.

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