A court in Kazakhstan has once again denied asylum to Russian activist Yemelyanova
The Administrative Division of the West Kazakhstan Regional Court upheld the decision to deny refugee status to Russian opposition activist Yulia Emelyanova. This ruling significantly increases the risk of her being extradited to Russian law enforcement agencies.
This was reported by the human rights project “Kovcheg,” citing a copy of the court document provided by the detainee’s lawyer.
Human rights defenders highlight the systematic and gross violation of the Russian woman’s right to full legal representation during the proceedings in Kazakhstani courts. In particular, during a critically important hearing on May 14, the panel of judges completely ignored the lawyer’s official motion to postpone the hearing. At that time, the defense attorney was on a flight and could not appear in court, and the court administration denied Yemelyanova the right to present her position via video link without providing any explanation. "Kovcheg" stated its intention to continue the legal battle and file appeals with higher courts, but acknowledged that the biased and closed nature of the judicial process in Kazakhstan leaves virtually no hope that Astana will refuse to extradite the activist.
Earlier, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Kazakhstan had already issued a positive decision to grant Russia’s request for Yemelyanova’s deportation. Currently, this deportation is blocked only thanks to a decision by the country’s Supreme Court, which temporarily suspended enforcement proceedings until the final conclusion of the review of her asylum application in all court instances.
Yulia Yemelyanova is a former employee of the St. Petersburg office of opposition politician Alexei Navalny, as well as an active participant in the international humanitarian initiatives “Emigration for Action” and “Just Help,” which assist political prisoners. Russian authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest within the CIS on charges of petty theft—allegedly, she stole a cell phone from a taxi driver. Independent human rights organizations and international observers are convinced that the criminal case is entirely fabricated by the Russian security services and is being used as a pretext for politically motivated persecution and the activist’s return to Russia.
