12 January 2008, 11:59
Governor in Austria demands the government stop granting shelter to refugees from Chechnya
Jorg Haider, Governor the Land Carinthia (Austria), has demanded from the Austrian government "to immediately and completely" stop granting shelter to refugees from Chechnya.
The Governor, known for his ultra-right views, justifies his demand by the cases of violence by Chechens in Carinthia, grave sexually-motivated crimes in Land Upper Austria committed by Chechen refugees, and also by the fact that as a result of Schengen Zone expansion Austria is now overwhelmed by migrants from Chechnya who resided earlier in other countries, the RIA "Novosti" reports with reference to the "Klein Zeitung" newspaper.
Mr Haider asserts that Chechens "have an increased potential of violence." "The example of other EU countries, such as Slovenia, shows that it's possible to stop granting shelter to Chechen refugees," the Governor has stated.
According to his information, over 2000 Chechnya natives get refuge in Austria every year. He has accused the corresponding agencies of Austria of "thoughtless attitude to granting refuge to Chechens."
The "Caucasian Knot" has already informed that the authorities of Austria have made a decision to deport a group of 27 Chechens, who had wanted to find political asylum first in Poland and later in Austria.
According to the Dublin Agreement of the European Union, the cases of the persons who apply for political asylum should be considered by the country, where they have initially lodged their applications. Therefore, the Chechens will be extradited from Austria to Poland.
