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Thousands of Chechens, fleeing torture and persecution at home have been denied the opportunity to apply for international protection in Poland since 2016.

Khaled, a hulking, mild-mannered Chechen cuts a dejected figure as he enters the ticket hall of Brest train station in Belarus; his wrestler's frame reduced to a slouch as he clasps his belt bag. He joins a small group of Chechens, deep in conversation, gathered in the corner of the hall. Their voices transported by the high ceilings and opulent arches to within earshot of an onlooking policeman.

Earlier in the day, the group had been turned away at the Polish border with Belarus where they were attempting to seek asylum. It was the fifth attempt in just over a week for Khaled, his wife and their small child. Now they only have enough money to repeat the twenty-minute train ride that trundles over the river Bug to the Polish town of Terespol ten more times. A once unremarkable journey that is now the focal point of a hidden refugee crisis.

Between January - June 2019 there have been 1604 attempts by asylum seekers, primarily from Chechnya, a republic in southwestern Russia, to enter the EU via the Brest - Terespol train. According to Human Constanta, a Belarusian human rights group, the most common cause for seeking asylum include threats and persecution by the Chechen authorities.  Other causes include domestic violence, honour-based violence and health issues.

Khaled's problems began in February 2019 when he was approached by five men, wearing civilian clothes as he exited his local mosque in Chechnya; "they took me into their car, and put my head between my legs and beat me with a pistol".

According to Khaled the men, who turned out to be police officers, took him to a police station, where they interrogated him "they asked me why I kept my beard but shaved off my moustache and that this means I am a Wahhabi".  At this point, Khaled knew what they were implying. Ramzan Kadyrov, the current president of the Chechen Republic, had in 2014, publicly pledged to raze the homes of "terrorists" - and act that garnered praise from the Kremlin. Kadyrov, a proponent of Sufism, had identified Wahhabism, an austere form of Islam as the root of the problem. Since then, human rights groups have reported numerous cases of unlawful torture and ill-treatment of suspected Wahhabis and terrorists by the Chechen authorities.

The officers produced confession papers that would link Khaled to terrorist activities. When he refused to sign them, the men resorted to torture; "they burnt my fingers, my hands, one of my feet and shocked me [with electricity]". Khaled was eventually released, but a few weeks later he was arrested at his home and taken to prison where the beatings continued.

Khaled and his family now want to seek asylum in the EU. The problem is that despite having entered the EU on five occasions, the Polish border guards do not allow the majority of Chechen's to seek international protection, leaving them stranded in Brest.

Of the 1604 attempts made between January - June 2019, only 136 have been successful. According to the individuals and families who recently attempted this crossing, the decision to allow these 136 people across the border, are made entirely at random by Polish border guards at Terespol. During this sixth month period, there were twenty-six days when no Chechen was allowed to enter Poland at Terespol.

In a safe location in Brest, operated by Human Constanta, a group of Chechen asylum seekers, guardedly share stories of mistreatment they have endured at the border. The tense atmosphere contrasts with the array of lively scenes depicted in colourful sketches that adorn the walls. These sketches were made by the children of Chechen families in Brest, a few will have made it into the EU, but many will have had to return.  Everyone is afraid of being seen or identified on camera as their families in Chechnya are frequently hassled and interrogated by the authorities about their whereabouts; a situation that will worsen if they are spotted trying to make it into the EU.

Ilyas, a young man who is escaping persecution from the authorities explains how they are treated at the border" they joke about you, laugh at you, they told me to go to China, to America, to the cinema, to the theatre, just anywhere but this border". 

Khaled had tried to explain his story to the Polish border guards during his attempted crossings. He had also shown them a wound from the beatings he received in prison that had failed to heal; "the border guards did not listen, they behaved like robots, showed no emotions, nothing". On the latest attempt, when he retold his story, they mocked him "they asked me what hotel I would like, a five or four-star?"

For the majority of the Chechen's attempting the crossing, going home is no longer an option. Although Khaled knows his money is running out, he is determined to remain optimistic, focusing on the few success stories; "we have hope because yesterday, there was a couple with four children who were allowed to cross the border on their nineteenth attempt". 

The sense of no return in the room is palpable. One man speaks for the group "the longer we stay here, the more the pressure on our family grows, we just want to cross the border and be forgotten".

However, time is not on their side. Many of the Chechens in Brest sleep at the train station, but for those, like Khaled, with children, the only option is to rent a room in the city. This expense coupled with the cost of train tickets (€10 each) means their money will eventually run out.

A growing sense of desperateness is displayed by many Chechen’s in Brest who have been turned away at the Polish border multiple times. Two days after the group meeting, a Chechen man attempted to take his own life after being turned away at Terespol station. A graphic recording of the event circulated on WhatsApp shows Polish police officers carrying his lifeless bloodstained body from a station toilet.

Belarus cannot offer a permanent home for the Chechens in Brest. Although Belarus allows Russian citizens visa-free entry, the country's economic and political dependence on Russia means that Belarus cannot recognize their refugee status. 

The number of Chechen's attempting the crossing had been much higher in 2015 when Poland began to turn away asylum seekers at Terespol. At the height of the crisis, there were around 3,000 Chechen's living in Brest and attempting the crossing.

Over the past year the number of people attempting the crossing has levelled out at around 130-150, but despite the low number of successful crossings, new families and individuals from Chechnya arrive in Brest every week.