Asylum - The Times Of Central Asia

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extradition

Kazakhstan Suspends Extradition of Navalny Associate as Courts Weigh Asylum Claim

Kazakhstan has suspended the extradition of Yulia Yemelyanova, a former staff member of Alexei Navalny’s St. Petersburg office, to Russia. Yemelyanova was detained in Almaty in August 2025 after the Russian authorities requested her transfer. The Prosecutor General’s Office halted the extradition after her lawyers filed appeals linked to her asylum claim. Earlier this month, authorities approved Russia’s request despite her pending asylum application. Her lawyer subsequently stated that he would challenge that approval before the Supreme Court. Russian investigators have accused Yemelyanova of theft linked to a 2021 case. Her defense rejects the charge and argues that the prosecution is politically motivated. Yemelyanova’s case fits into a broader pattern of extradition proceedings involving Russian nationals who relocated to Kazakhstan after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In late September 2022, Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry stated that nearly 100,000 Russians had entered the country following Moscow’s announcement of partial mobilization on September 21. “Most of them have to leave because of the hopeless situation. We have to take care of them and secure their safety,” Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the time. Many have remained. Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry reported that more than 80,000 Russian citizens received work-related residence permits between January 2023 and September 2024. Opinion in Kazakhstan on Navalny spans a wide and often divergent spectrum. When news of his death in a Russian penal colony broke in February 2024, responses across Central Asia ranged from sympathy to indifference. In Kazakhstan, some civic activists expressed concern over political repression in Russia, while others recalled Navalny’s past nationalist rhetoric and critical comments about migration from Central Asia. Those divergent views form the domestic context for cases involving former members of Navalny’s political network. Extradition proceedings unfold within a society that interprets Russian opposition politics through its own historical experience and social priorities. The relocation wave reshaped rental markets in Almaty and Astana in late 2022, as IT firms, logistics companies, and service businesses absorbed skilled migrants. At the same time, authorities tightened migration rules and reduced the duration of visa-free stays, signaling that temporary entry did not guarantee long-term residence. In 2024 and 2025, Russian extradition requests began to draw greater public attention, with several defendants seeking asylum while contesting their transfer. One prominent case involved Mansur Movlayev, a Chechen activist critical of Ramzan Kadyrov. In January 2026, Kazakhstan approved Russia’s extradition request after denying him refugee status. The UN Human Rights Committee registered a complaint in Movlayev’s case and requested that Kazakhstan refrain from extraditing him while the review proceeded. Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court subsequently suspended the extradition decision pending review connected to his asylum appeal. Kazakhstan’s Criminal Procedure Code governs extradition decisions and provides appeal mechanisms, with the Law on Refugees establishing procedures for reviewing asylum claims and defining protections from removal. International law reinforces these safeguards; the principle of non-refoulement prohibits returning a person to a country where they face serious threats to their life or freedom. Kazakhstan’s extradition decisions are unfolding within a...

Russia

Nearly 200 Uzbek Citizens Sought Asylum in Russia in 2025

In 2025, a total of 191 Uzbek citizens applied for asylum in Russia, underscoring evolving migration dynamics in the region and increased pressure on labor and humanitarian migration systems across Central Asia. The figures were reported by Gazeta.ru, citing data from Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the data, 8,820 foreign nationals sought temporary asylum in Russia last year. Ukrainians accounted for the largest group, with 3,332 applicants, followed by 3,196 Syrians. Other significant groups included 313 Palestinians, 281 Afghans, and 191 Uzbeks. Additional applicants came from countries such as Germany, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Israel, and Armenia, placing Central Asian states firmly within Russia’s broader migration framework. The total number of asylum applications marked an increase compared to 2024, when Russian authorities registered 6,879 requests. Despite ongoing political and economic turbulence, officials said the overall structure of migration remained largely stable. Regional developments also influenced migration trends. In early January, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service reported that around 1,400 Ukrainian citizens attempted to cross borders illegally in 2025, including via Belarus. Most attempts occurred along European Union borders. Meanwhile, the EU recorded a 20% drop in asylum applications, especially among Syrians, indicating that some migratory pressure may be shifting eastward. For Uzbekistan, the asylum figures come amid broader labor migration trends. According to official Uzbek statistics, 1.86 million citizens left the country for employment abroad between January and September 2025, a 1.38-fold increase year-on-year. Of these, an estimated 1.3 million were working in Russia, reaffirming its role as the main destination for Uzbek labor migrants. Migration policy has also featured in recent diplomatic discussions. According to RIA Novosti, Russian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Aleksey Yerkhov informed the Uzbek Foreign Ministry of Russia’s updated migration policy concept, approved in October 2025. During a meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Olimjon Abdullaev, both sides addressed the need to improve labor migration mechanisms and ensure the protection of Uzbek citizens’ rights during inspections and employment procedures. Russia’s 2026-2030 migration policy concept states that external political and economic pressures have not significantly altered migration patterns. The policy projects continued growth in labor migration, driven by sustained demand for foreign workers. At the same time, Moscow is introducing new mechanisms to attract skilled foreign nationals. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that, beginning in April 2026, Russian embassies and consulates will issue one-year, multiple-entry business visas to qualified individuals deemed beneficial to the Russian Federation. Eligible applicants will include professionals with achievements in science, technology, manufacturing, sports, the creative industries, education, or other high-demand sectors, as outlined in a presidential decree promoting high-quality migration.

Asylum

Tajikistan’s Ombudsman Criticizes Violations of Refugee Rights

Tajikistan’s Human Rights Commissioner has released a 2024 report highlighting ongoing violations of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, including challenges in securing legal status and accessing essential services. According to the report, refugees and migrants face systemic barriers to obtaining official status and temporary registration, as well as difficulties integrating into society, finding employment, and accessing education. As of the end of 2024, 10,753 refugees and asylum seekers were registered in Tajikistan, comprising 2,670 families. Among them, 9,424 individuals (2,140 families) held refugee status, while 1,329 (530 families) were awaiting decisions on their asylum applications. The majority, 6,774 people, or 63%, were Afghan nationals. In 2024, 2,280 individuals were issued refugee certificates, and another 2,591 received temporary registration. Four applicants were denied refugee status on grounds of submitting "unfounded or false information." The report did not disclose the nationalities of those denied. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported similar figures for 2024, citing 10,381 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Tajikistan. This marks a decline from 2022, when the UN estimated the number of Afghan asylum seekers in the country at around 14,000. The Ombudsman’s report also noted that several Afghan asylum seekers were expelled from Tajikistan in 2024 for violating residency rules. Cited reasons included wearing a beard “against the rules,” inappropriate clothing, alcohol consumption, and political discussions on social media. Interior Minister Ramazon Rakhimzoda defended the deportations, stating in the summer of 2024 that all actions were taken in accordance with national law. “Although they had legal residence, if they violate the law, they are expelled,” he said, adding that all decisions were made within the existing legal framework. Tajikistan accepted its first wave of Afghan refugees in 2021, following the Taliban’s return to power. At the time, authorities acknowledged that the lack of dedicated shelters posed a major challenge. In August 2025, the head of the Emergency Situations Committee said there was no significant threat of a new mass influx of refugees and that previously accommodated families had been resettled across the country. Most Afghan refugees are currently living in the city of Vahdat and the Jabbor Rasulov district.

International

Turkish Court Orders Deportation of Two Turkmen Bloggers

A Turkish court in the city of Samsun has ordered the deportation of two Turkmen bloggers, Alisher Sakhadov and Abdullah Orusov, despite their applications for international protection. The Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights reported that the court issued its ruling on June 13, 2025, and officially notified the men's lawyer on June 27. The court found both men to be residing in Turkey illegally and rejected their asylum claims. According to documents reviewed by their lawyer, the decisions in the two cases were nearly identical, with some sections reportedly copied verbatim. Sakhadov applied for protection in April 2023 but was later issued a permanent entry ban under Code G-82, which Turkish authorities assign to individuals deemed threats to national security. The court concluded that he faced no credible risk of mistreatment if returned to Turkmenistan. Orusov’s case followed a similar pattern. He applied for protection in July 2023 and received the same security designation. The court similarly ruled that his return would not expose him to torture or degrading treatment. Their legal team plans to appeal the ruling to Turkey’s Constitutional Court. Requests for the release of both men from deportation centers were denied on June 25 and 26. Alisher Sahatov is one of the most prominent Turkmen activists in Turkey. He became a well-known figure within the diaspora through his YouTube channel Erkin Garaýyş, where he highlighted the challenges faced by Turkmen migrants. Abdullah Orusov was also active on social media, where he regularly criticized the Turkmen authorities. His posts often resonated widely among migrants and human rights advocates. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, another Turkmen activist, Dushemov, completed a four-year prison sentence in June 2025 but was transferred to a pre-trial detention center instead of being released. New charges were filed against him following an alleged altercation with another inmate. Dushemov and human rights organizations claim the case was fabricated to extend his detention, part of what they describe as a broader campaign of repression against government critics.

Asylum

Tajik Asylum Seeker Wins UK Appeal Over Fear of Forced Beard Shaving

A Tajik man has been granted the right to remain in the United Kingdom after successfully arguing that he would face persecution in his home country for refusing to shave his beard. The case, first reported by The Telegraph, underscores how personal religious expression can form the basis of asylum claims. The asylum seeker, whose identity remains undisclosed, had his initial claim rejected by the UK Home Office. On appeal, he argued that Tajik authorities routinely detain bearded men, forcibly shave them, and collect their fingerprints. He maintained that he would only shave his beard out of fear of harm, not due to personal preference or societal expectations. Tajikistan has in recent years pursued an unofficial campaign linking beards to religious extremism. A BBC investigation found that in one region alone, police forcibly shaved nearly 13,000 men as part of an “anti-radicalisation” drive. Human Rights Watch has similarly documented cases of men with beards being detained, fingerprinted, and groomed under duress. The appellant’s legal team contended that his beard is a core element of his religious identity as a practicing Muslim, and that being compelled to shave it under threat would constitute a violation of his human rights. The appeal was evaluated under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment. In his ruling, Deputy Judge Parminder Saini of the UK’s Upper Tribunal stated that the initial judge failed to adequately assess the true reasons the man would remove his beard. “If he wears a beard out of religious conviction but will conform for reasons of securing his safety, he may be entitled to international protection,” Saini wrote. The judge also noted that credible background evidence, such as widespread reports of arbitrary detentions and forced grooming, had not been properly considered in the original decision. “Thousands of Tajik men have had their beards forcibly shaved. These examples were relevant and should have informed the tribunal’s decision,” he added. The case has been remanded to the First-tier Tribunal for a fresh hearing. This ruling illustrates how deeply personal expressions of faith, such as maintaining a beard, can warrant legal protection when in conflict with state practices in the country of origin. It also reflects the complex legal and evidentiary hurdles asylum seekers must overcome to prove a credible fear of persecution.

Asylum

As War Rages at Home, Sudanese Student Leaves Kazakhstan for Uncertain Future

A Sudanese student named Amir began studying at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan in 2023, just a few months before rival military factions in his country launched a devastating civil war that, according to some estimates, has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 10 million to flee their homes. For Amir, the war was the beginning of an extended period of uncertainty during which he faced financial problems, worried about his displaced family back home, unsuccessfully applied for refugee status in Kazakhstan, feared deportation to Sudan and even faced the possibility of living in limbo in the Almaty airport. This weekend, a Kazakh human rights group said the situation of the Sudanese man had been “conditionally resolved positively for the moment” because authorities let him fly to an unspecified country that has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals. Work on his case is expected to continue. The Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR), a non-governmental group that was founded in 1993, had helped Amir during his ordeal. The group did not provide his surname but posted photos of the young man on Facebook. It thanked Almaty airport officials for helping to resolve difficult issues as well offices of UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency, in at least three countries. The relative improvement in Amir’s situation follows a state of limbo whose roots lie in the war between the Sudanese military and a militia called the Rapid Support Forces, the latest episode of violence in a country that has experienced multiple coup attempts over the decades. The latest fighting set off a humanitarian crisis and allegations of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. Amir “tried to obtain refugee status in Kazakhstan, but in practice, the country grants that status only in extremely rare cases,” said the human rights group KIBHR, which helped the Sudanese students with his unsuccessful appeals of the Kazakh court ruling against him. “Under the court’s decision, Amir had to leave Kazakhstan by May 1, so concerned individuals raised money for a ticket to Rwanda — one of the few countries Sudanese citizens can enter without a visa,” KIBHR said. “However, something went wrong: they didn’t even take his documents for review and immediately deported him from the airport back to Qatar, through which he had traveled en route to Rwanda.” In Doha airport, Amir was put on a flight back to Almaty, where authorities prepared to send him back to Qatar, according to the human rights group. But an airline refused to fly him to Qatar, leaving him stranded in Almaty and facing the possibility of deportation to Sudan. “What saved the situation was the concern that Amir might harm himself during the flight or his condition might seriously deteriorate, and they were unable to provide an escort. As a result, he was allowed to fly to one of the countries (not specified) that still has visa-free entry for Sudanese nationals, and he was admitted there,” the human rights group....