Three Turkish students were expelled from MEPhI by decision of the FSB

Three students of the National Research Nuclear University of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (NRNU MEPhI), who are Turkish citizens, were expelled by decision of the FSB. This was reported in the response of the Prosecutor General's Office to the appeal of the Presidential Council for Human Rights.

“Three students of the National Research Nuclear University of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute were expelled based on the decision of the Federal Security Service that their stay on the territory of the Russian Federation was undesirable,” the HRC website reports.

The HRC asked the Prosecutor General's Office to explain the reason for the expulsion of 13 Turkish students from higher educational institutions in Moscow, Samara and Voronezh between November and December 2015. Thus, according to the department, nine students were expelled from the Voronezh Institute of High Technologies due to violation of the terms of the contract on paid education. Another student from Turkey dropped out of the Samara State University of Economics of his own free will.

The First Deputy Prosecutor General said in a letter to the head of the HRC, Mikhail Fedotov, that the department did not identify any violations of Russian legislation in the field of education when expelling Turkish students. The prosecutor's office did not receive any complaints or information about violations of the rights of Turkish citizens based on nationality or citizenship.

On November 24, 2015, the Turkish Air Force shot down a Russian Su-24 bomber. Türkiye claimed it violated its airspace and the crew was warned about it. Russia, in turn, insisted that the bomber was in Syrian airspace and the crew did not receive any warnings. After this, Russia announced the suspension of the visa-free regime with Turkey from January 1, 2016 and imposed sanctions on Turkey.

The sanctions, in particular, prohibit the employment of Turkish citizens from January 1, 2016. According to the decree of President Vladimir Putin, the sanctions do not apply to Turkish citizens who were in labor and/or civil relations with employers or customers as of December 31, 2015.