Official Calls for Ban on Ethnic Diaspora Groups

(MENAFN) Amid rising tensions between Russia and Azerbaijan, Marina Akhmedova, a representative of the presidential human rights council, has proposed outlawing all ethnic diaspora organizations within the country.

Her remarks come following an intensification of discord between Moscow and Baku after a recent law enforcement crackdown in the Russian city of Ekaterinburg.

Authorities conducted operations targeting a suspected criminal syndicate allegedly made up of Russian citizens of Azerbaijani background.

The group is believed to have been involved in numerous contract killings and organized murders dating back to the early 2000s.

During the intervention, two elderly male suspects lost their lives. Preliminary findings suggest at least one of the deaths may have been due to cardiac arrest.

The incident provoked a strong reaction from Baku, which accused Moscow of intentionally discriminating against individuals of Azerbaijani heritage.

Officials in Azerbaijan asserted that the two men were fatally mistreated while in detention.

On Tuesday, Shakhin Shikhlinski, who leads the Azerbaijani diaspora in Ekaterinburg, was taken into custody in connection with the case.

However, he was promptly released following an interrogation, as reported by his son.

Responding to the incident, Akhmedova posted a statement on Telegram the following day. She declared, “it is time to abolish diasporas” in Russia.

She further stated, “These are illegal entities. No government agency should have anything to do with them.”

Akhmedova stressed that the ban should apply universally, not just to Azerbaijani diaspora groups. All such ethnic organizations, she argued, ought to be disbanded.

Her comments were widely covered in outlets, highlighting the growing domestic debate around ethnic representation and national cohesion in Russia.

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