And now there is a demand to naturalize them and give them full citizenship.
On April 15th, Dombaev Dzhambulat, Ouloubaev Asla and Ahmedov Muhsinjon, three friends originally from the Russian Republic of Chechnya, were at a park in the French area of Montereau-Fault-Yonne when they spotted smoke two blocks away.
They ran over to find a crowd yelling up to an elder man who took refuge on his patio whilst the smoke from a fire that entered his apartment from the hallway was so thick, it was hard for him to be seen.
Without hesitation, Dombaev scaled the building’s facade with Ouloubaev and Ahmedov close behind.
Whilst leaning into the patio, he asked the elder to come over to him.
"He said to me, 'I'm scared, I'm scared, I can't walk', Dzhambulat recalled.
From behind his friend nudged him, "Come on, let's get him."
They climbed in, saw the fire was close to the patio itself, then working as a team they lifted the man up and carried him from his patio to the adjacent patio, all the while comforting the scared man whilst the crowd below cheered.
There was no time to wait for the firefighters.
They had to act...and act they did.
Others from the crowd had likewise climbed up to assist.
Bravery abounded that day.
And
Reporters asked him if he was afraid, and Ouloubaev’s response was, "I did not have time to be afraid, I had to go."
"I was doing gymnastics with my wife and my friend in Square Beaumarchais when I saw smoke coming from a neighboring building," recalled Dombaev.
His gymnastics certainly came in handy.
Tragically, the building fire took the life of a mother and her 3 year old daughter.
Now the general public has called on the powers that be to naturalize these two men and make them full citizens.
They have lived in France for seven and nine years, respectively.
Ahmedov Muhsinjon is already naturalized.
A petition www.change.org/… was started by the Monterelaise population to President Emmanuel Macron and to the Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner.
And it says….
Mr. President, Mr. Minister of the Interior,
A fire hit one of the Montereau neighborhoods on April 15, 2020, an old man was trapped on his balcony in the building fire. Dombaev Dzhambulat and his friends Ouloubaev Aslan and Ahmedov Muhsinjon risking their own lives, climbed the facade of the building up to the 3rd floor in order to rescue this frightened old man who had taken refuge in his balcony. Dombaev Dzhambulat with the help of his friends went to look for the old man on his balcony, passed him over the void and then put him safely on the neighboring balcony.
As for Karim Boukhetala, accompanied by a friend of his, entered the burning building, opened the doors and used fire extinguishers which he had recovered when he saw the fire in the distance. This gesture facilitated access to the building for the firefighters.
Faced with these acts of bravery which aroused applause and great relief from the population, we ask you Mr. President and Minister of the Interior to be able to give them another life. We demand the regularization of the situation of these heroes of society. These "lambdas" citizens did not hesitate for a second to put their courage at the service of others. Who saves a life, saves all of humanity.
I do not know these men personally, but I and the people of Monterrey wish to say THANK YOU.
As do we.
”Who saves a life, saves all of humanity.”
Now where have I heard that before?
When told of the petition, Dombaev replied, “I've been dreaming about this for 7 years, all I want is to live as a simple person. "