Switzerland

Chechen denied asylum in Switzerland as authorities deem Chechnya ‘safe’ for his return

A Chechen man has been denied asylum in Switzerland and is due to be deported to Chechnya after the Swiss authorities deemed it ‘safe’ for him to return. Ali Batayev, 40, emigrated to Europe from Ukraine after Russia began its invasion in 2022. He was detained by the Swiss authorities later that year, and has been in a deportation centre since. Lachin Mamishov, the representative of the Chechen Ichkerian Republic in exile in Switzerland, stated that Batayev’s rights were violated, as he w