18:50, 2 March 2023

After detention in Mongolia, activist Batyr Boromangnaev flies to USA

Batyr Boromangnaev. Screenshot of the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klv_Mlv_LJE

Mongolian authorities have abandoned their initial plans to deport the Kalmyk activist, Batyr Boromangnaev. After negotiations with the participation of Mongolian politicians and human rights defenders, he was allowed to fly to the United States.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Boromangnaev had flown from Kazakhstan to Mongolia, where he planned to apply for political asylum, but the border guards did not let him out of the airport. Boromangnaev said that law enforcers had threatened to deport him to Russia.

Since February 2022, Batyr Boromangnaev, the leader of the Kalmyk branch of the "Yabloko" Party, has been persecuted because of his activities and posts in social networks. On February 28, 2022, law enforcers forced him to the police station after he made photos of a participant in a pacifist picket.

Boromangnaev had to spend five days in the transit zone of the Genghis Khan airport, and flew to the USA by a Korean Air flight, the Middle Asian Daily News has reported citing Mongolian activists.

The "Free Nations' Leagues" Movement has noted that Boromangnaev's departure was preceded by "difficult negotiations involving many people and institutions."

"Mongolia has taken a principled position – not to extradite the Kalmyk politician to Russia (albeit in transit through Kazakhstan)," the movement's Telegram channel has informed.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 2, 2023 at 00:36 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot