A North Caucasian native faces the threat of deportation from Bulgaria.
Circassian Anzor Unezhev, detained in Bulgaria at the request of Russian authorities, faces extradition to Russia, where he may encounter politically motivated persecution and ill-treatment, reported human rights activist Roza Dunaeva.
According to human rights activist Roza Dunaeva, 40-year-old ethnic Circassian Anzor Unezhev was detained on October 10 after illegally crossing the border from Turkey to Bulgaria. Since 2020, Russian authorities have been searching for him through Interpol on charges related to illegal arms trafficking and extremist activities. Unezhev himself denies the charges and is requesting political asylum.
Russian security forces have repeatedly used accusations of extremism to pressure activists and representatives of Muslim communities. The criminal prosecution of Unezhev may have political motives, Dunaeva wrote on her Facebook page on October 18.
In the event of extradition, Unezhev risks facing politically motivated judicial prosecution and ill-treatment, Dunaeva warned. She called on international human rights organizations, lawyers, and the Circassian diaspora to seek an independent review of his asylum request and to prevent his extradition without a thorough assessment of potential risks.
On October 13, the district court of the Bulgarian city of Haskovo ordered Unezhev to be held in custody for up to 40 days as part of the extradition proceedings. The court justified the arrest by the absence of valid identification documents and a registered address in Bulgaria, reported the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA).
According to Bulgarian national television BNT, Russian authorities accuse Unezhev of participating in the illegal production of firearms, illegal acquisition, possession, and sale of weapons and ammunition, as well as organizing the activities of an extremist group. In Russia, he faces up to ten years in prison. Unezhev stated in court that he lived in Turkey for 19 years and received political asylum there. He rejected the charges. The decision regarding his temporary detention can be appealed in the Plovdiv appellate court, the channel noted.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that natives of the North Caucasus seeking asylum abroad periodically face the threat of extradition to Russia. For instance, on October 11, participants in pickets in Yerevan protested against the extradition from Kazakhstan of Chechen native Mansur Movlaev, who fears torture and persecution in his homeland. In August 2025, France extradited to Russia Karachay-Cherkessia native Ruslan Botashev, accused by Russian security forces of involvement in a terrorist organization. In May of the same year, human rights activists called the extradition of two Chechen natives from Austria to Russia unsafe.