DUSHANBE, November 16, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Russia Abdulmajid Dostiyev yesterday met in Moscow with Mr. Mohammad Amin Majumder, the president of the Federation of Immigrants of Russia, the Tajik Embassy in Moscow reports.

Protection of rights of Tajik labor migrants in the Russian Federation was the focus of the meeting.

Mohammad Amin Majumder reportedly noted that the Federation of Immigrants of Russia condemned violation of rights Tajik labor migrants in Russia, “which has intensified in recent days.”

Mr. Mohammad Amin Majumder is a longtime Moscow resident from Bangladesh who is now a Russian resident.

The president of the Federation of Immigrants of Russia considers that this move [deportation of Tajik labor migrants from Russia] comes after Tajik court sentenced Russian pilot Vladimir Sadovnichiy to 8 ½ years in prison on November 8.

Ambassador Dostiyev, for his part, noted that citizens of the two countries must not suffer from the level of interstate relations and that nobody may say today what for labor migrants who are working faithfully are deported or suffer persecution from the Russian authorities.” 

Tajik diplomat stressed that Tajik judicial bodies would solve the problem that had arisen over pilots’ case in accordance with Tajikistan’s legislation, “and nobody has the right to interfere in the work of judicial bodies because they are independent.”

Mohammad Amin Majumder noted that the Federation of Immigrants of Russia would apply to international organization with solicitation to protect rights of labor migrants.

Meanwhile, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that the head of Tajikistan’s Migration Service said on November 15 that the number of Tajik citizens awaiting deportation from Russia increased threefold in the past week.  But Safiallo Devonayev told RFE/RL that the increase is not linked to the pilots'' case, noting that many currently awaiting deportation received their deportation orders before the court verdict.

Devonayev said that officially around 560,000 Tajik citizens are currently in Russia, but some unofficial sources put the number of Tajik labor migrants there at more than 1 million.

Devonayev said that last year Russia deported more than 3,000 Tajik citizens.