Sochi Olympics Update

In September I wrote about the round-up of migrant workers in Moscow and mentioned that undocumented workers have been the primary construction force in Sochi. Now that the Olympic facilities are ready I guess they are no longer needed. According to Human Rights Watch over the last month the Sochi police have begun raids on construction sites, arresting large numbers of migrant workers. Some are being held for days in the outdoor courtyards of police stations, without proper sanitary facilities, adequate protection from the elements, or sufficient food. Others are being “tried” (without legal representation) and deported.  

Meanwhile in the areas around Sochi plain-clothed police wearing ski masks and driving unmarked cars have been busily kidnapping Islamic men off the streets. They claim that their targets are suspected terrorists, but they are providing no evidence. The detainees disappear, often for weeks, without any contact with their families or any semblance of a legal process. So far this year, nineteen such “detainees” have disappeared altogether. Nobody knows their fate.

As for Moscow’s migrant workers, things are only getting worse. Yesterday anti-migrant rioters chanting racist slogans tore through the streets overturning cars and smashing windows. The riot police responded but to little effect.