Thousands of Ukrainians asked for political asylum in Czech Republic, but only three got it

The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ukraine informs, over the last ten months more than 3,500 people have appealed to the Embassy for getting a political asylum. But only three Ukrainians have got political asylum in the Czech Republic. Ambassador of the Czech Embassy in Ukraine Dushan Doskocil told journalists, “often there are economic motives for immigration, that are presented as political persecutions.” The Ambassador mentioned, the appeals of this kind are usually considered within half a year, within the period the Czech Republic has to maintain the people who enter the country with appeals for a political asylum. It is clear, the state pays a lot for it. But in practice, the process can hardly be influenced: even the information that a political asylum will be granted to one person of a thousand does not help.

In the Ambassador’s words, it is even worse, when thousands of people, from Ukraine’s western parts mostly, get to the country illegally in search for a job. As a result, the people are outlaw, that also affects the criminal situation in the Czech Republic. The Ministry for Internal Affairs of the Czech Republic informs, dozens of Ukrainian ethnic criminal groups act in the country, that entails abhorrence to Ukrainians from the Czech people. Ukrainians are often referred to the second-sort people.

At the same time, Prague Radio told the other day, the Ukrainians, who were waiting for a political asylum in the country, perceived the disdain from employees of the immigration service. The bad attitude to the Ukrainians is caused by their poor knowledge of the Czech language, first of all. But, to tell the truth, this can hardly be named a reasonable explanation: indeed, the people coming to the Czech Republic from the USA or Germany are not treated worse because of their poor knowledge of the Czech language.

Alexander Gorobets PRAVDA.Ru Kiev Ukraine

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/02/19/37274.html