"With its perfect grid, imposing imperial palaces and white nights, when the proximity to the Arctic Circle makes darkness disappear in late summer, St Petersburg was a far cry from home. Mohammed arrived from Dushanbe, the sun-parched and overpopulated capital of Tajikistan, the poorest nation of ex-Soviet Central Asia. He saw the trip as a way of boosting his income and sending remittances home,"
"He entered Russia visa-free, paid 6,000 rubles ($74) a month for a renewable work permit, and shared a shabby rented apartment with six others while working at a food stall. But months after arriving, the life he had carefully carved out was shattered. He told Al Jazeera that, having forgotten to pay the fee for the work permit, he was rounded up by police, beaten and denied food. In detention, Russian military officers forced him to sign up to the army, he said."
Mohammed, a migrant from Dushanbe, flew to St Petersburg in 2024 seeking work and remittances. He entered Russia visa-free, paid for a renewable work permit, and lived in a crowded rented apartment while working at a food stall. After missing a work-permit fee, police detained him, beat him and denied him food. Military officers in detention compelled him to sign up for the army and travel to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops. Ukrainian forces later captured him and he is now held as a prisoner of war. An officer was present during his interview in a prison near the front line. International laws require humane treatment for prisoners of war.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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