A., Z.
Who, Why and How exiled: Z.A. (*1991) is charged with extremism in his home country Uzbekistan (ECHR, 2018).
The four applicants, nationals of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, had been charged in their countries of origin with religious and politically motivated crimes. After being charged their pre-trial detention was ordered in absentia, and international search warrants were issued by the authorities. Subsequently the Russian authorities took final decisions to extradite or expel each of the applicants, despite consistent claims that in the event of removal the applicants would face a real risk of treatment contrary to Article 3 of the Convention ( ECtHR, 2018).
Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests): 16 October 2015 an international search warrant for Z. A. was issued by Uzbek authorities as well as a detention order issued in absentia (ECHR, 2018).
Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition): Z.A. was arrested and subsequently detained on 29 March 2016. On 19 April 2016 an extradition request on charges of extremism was submitted which was granted by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office in December 2016. On 29 March 2017 an interim measure preventing the applicant’s removal was ordered by the ECHR and A. was released due to expiry of the maximum statutory period of detention. However, extradition order upheld by the final judgment of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in April 2017 (ECHR, 2018). In October 2018 the ECHR ruled to replace the interim measures that A. should not be removed from Russia with a final judgement with the same effect (EDAL, 2018).
Other actions during Stages 1–3 (dispossession/ overseas assets frozen/ intimidation/ action against associates/ …): Both, the application for refugee status and temporary asylum have been declined by the migration authorities in August 2016, and September 2017 respectively (ECHR, 2018).
Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident): 27 September 2017 – refusal of temporary asylum by the migration authorities (ECHR, 2108).
20 April 2017 – extradition order upheld by the final judgement of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ( ECHR, 2108).
Press sources: EDAL, 2018 ‘ECtHR Delivers Judgment on a Case of Removal from Russia of Uzbek and Tajik Nationals | European Database of Asylum Law’ https://www.asylumlawdatabase.eu/en/content/ecthr-delivers-judgment-case-removal-russia-uzbek-and-tajik-nationals [accessed 2 June 2019]
Legal sources: ECHR Application: 23188/17 (Z.A.). ECHR, ‘A.N. AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA’, 2018 https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22fulltext%22:[%2223188/17%22]} [accessed 10 Sept 2020]