Movlaev's defense has appealed to the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan
Mansur Movlaev, a native of Chechnya, is in a depressed state after two suicide attempts, but "will fight," his lawyer reported. The defense is seeking to have the case reviewed by the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan, citing a threat to Movlaev's life.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on September 15, Mansur Movlaev, held in a Kazakhstani pre-trial detention center, attempted to take his own life. Already in the hospital, he attempted suicide again. A visiting prosecutor stated that extradition from Kazakhstan is inevitable and that Movlaev "could become a martyr," reported a support group for the Chechen native.
On February 23, the UN Human Rights Committee registered a complaint from Mansur Movlaev and urged the authorities of Kazakhstan to refrain from extraditing him to Russia until the appeal is considered, as well as requested information and comments from the authorities on the substance of the complaint. On September 2, Movlaev asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres to personally appeal to the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, urging compliance with the temporary measures of the UN Human Rights Committee and the principle of non-refoulement, to cancel the extradition and not send Movlaev to Russia, where, he claims, he faces torture and death.
Mansur Movlaev made two suicide attempts after learning about the decision of the Cassation Court of Kazakhstan on administrative cases, his lawyer Elena Zhigalenok told "Caucasian Knot".
The court refused to overturn the decision of the Migration Department of Kazakhstan, which denied Movlaev asylum. "This decision was made on September 10, and he could have learned about it a few days later, which could have been the reason for those two attempts," she suggested.
The lawyer visited Movlaev on September 22; he was in a depressed state. "But he has a fighting spirit – he will fight," the lawyer noted.
She emphasized that Mansur's defense is not giving up and is looking for legal opportunities to overturn and review the negative decision. "We sent a letter to the Prosecutor General's Office asking whether the prosecutor's office will comply with the temporary protective measures imposed by the UN Human Rights Committee. So far, there has been no response. In addition, we filed a complaint with the Supreme Court, despite the fact that it rarely considers cases previously reviewed by other instances," Elena Zhigalenok reported.
As the lawyer explained, the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan can take such a case if there are two or three specific conditions, such as a threat to health and life, as well as a violation of the uniformity of judicial practice.
"We pointed out, firstly, the danger to Movlaev's life, and secondly, the significant risk to Kazakhstan's international image, as Movlaev's fate has been taken up by the UN Human Rights Committee. We also informed the Prosecutor General's Office about the complaint to the Supreme Court," the lawyer said.
"Caucasian Knot" reported that on January 30, the Prosecutor General's Office of Kazakhstan ordered Movlaev to be handed over to Russian security forces, and the defense challenged this decision. On September 2, Movlaev asked the UN Secretary-General for support and urged the authorities of Kazakhstan to comply with the temporary measures of the UN Human Rights Committee.
Mansur Movlaev was born in 1995 in Shali. He told his lawyers that while studying at university, he helped the Chechen opposition movement with information about people abducted by Kadyrov's forces. In 2022, Movlaev was detained by security forces in Chechnya and held in an illegal prison. After escaping from there, he managed to reach Kyrgyzstan in January 2023.
In August 2023, security forces in Kyrgyzstan detained Movlaev, who was wanted in Russia on charges of financing extremist activities. A court in Bishkek sentenced Movlaev to six months in a penal colony and subsequent expulsion from the country. On November 20, 2023, Movlaev was released, but the decision on his expulsion remained in force, and he independently left Kyrgyzstan to avoid being sent back home.