S., Z.
Who, Why and How exiled: Z.S. (*1984) is charged with religious extremism in his home country Uzbekistan (ECHR, 2018).
The applicants are nationals of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. On various dates they were charged in their countries of origin with religious and politically motivated crimes, 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 remove
(that is to say extradite or expel) 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 (ECHR, 2018).
Stage 1 details (accusations/ charges/ Interpol notice/ extradition requests): On 2 November 2015 an international search warrant issued by Uzbek authorities for Z.S. and on 9 November 2015 a detention order in absentia (ECHR, 2018).
Stage 2 details (arrest/ detention/ extradition): On 25 March 2016 Z.S. was arrested and subsequently detained and in April 2016 an extradition request on charges of extremism submitted. In September 2016 the prolongation of detention was ordered by the Khamovnicheskiy District Court of Moscow against which an appeal was without success. In December 2016 the extradition request was granted by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office. However, on 17 March 2017 interim measure preventing the applicant’s removal was ordered by the ECHR. Yet, in March 2017 the extradition order was upheld by the final judgment of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation. Due to the expiry of the maximum statutory period of detention Z.S. was released on 25 March 2017 (ECHR, 2018). The ECHR ruled to replace the interim measures that Z.S. 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/ …): Z.S.'s application for refugee status from June 2016 was refused throughout various levels of jurisdiction in 2017. (ECHR, 2018)
Legal status (refugee/ asylum seeker/ resident): 20 April 2017 – extradition order upheld by the final judgement of the Supreme Court
of the Russian Federation ( ECHR, 2018).
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] ECHR, 2018. A.N. AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA JUDGMENT. <https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/5bd6ea924.pdf> [accessed 2 June 2019]
Legal sources: ECHR Application: 20421/17 (Z.S.). ECHR, ‘A.N. AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA’, 2018 https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng#{%22fulltext%22:[%2261689/16%22]} [accessed 10 Sept 2020]