Discrimination against foreigners trying to flee Ukraine: HRW
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Human Rights Watch reports that foreigners residing in Ukraine have faced discrimination and their evacuations were postponed in favor of Ukrainians.
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Refugees on Tuesday at the Ukrainian-Moldovan border (NYT)
Foreigners residing in Ukraine have been subjected to unequal treatment and delays as they were trying to flee the country alongside hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, Human Rights Watch reported.
Everyone escaping war in #Ukraine, no matter where they come from, should be allowed to leave. @hrw interviews show the unequal treatment of foreigners.
— Ida Sawyer (@ida_sawyer) March 4, 2022
One described a driver who said “all blacks need to get off the bus” as they approached the border.https://t.co/57SrSlUFAg pic.twitter.com/KzslIuecFc
The humanitarian organization revealed that interviews with tens of foreign nationals showed a pattern of blocking or delaying foreigners from boarding buses and trains in favor of Ukrainians.
"It's a harrowing situation for everyone trying to get out of harm's way," no matter their home country, they should be allowed to leave, said Judith Sunderland, associate Europe, and Central Asia director at HRW.
"Ukrainian authorities should not discriminate based on nationality or race, and neighboring countries should allow everyone in with a minimum of bureaucracy," she added.
Ukraine has long met an influx of students and immigrants from around the world, as HRW reported that 2020 government data revealed that 80,000 international students were in the country, many of which came from India, Morocco, and Nigeria, and now, after spending years in Ukraine, the Kiev authorities are discriminating against them.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent to the Polish borders had reported racism toward non-Ukrainian refugees arriving in Poland.
The United Nations also reported that many non-European immigrants faced racism during their attempts at fleeing Ukraine into European Union countries.
Ukraine itself has a neo-Nazi issue, which prompted Russia to launch a military operation with the intent of "denazifying" its western neighbor following sabotage attacks by Ukrainian armed forces and ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Donbass.
