An appeal to the UN increased Movlaev's chances of avoiding extradition to Chechen security forces.

The intervention of UN bodies in Mansur Movlaev's case does not guarantee his protection from extradition from Kazakhstan to Russia, but it could still reduce the risk of his being handed over to Chechen security forces.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in late December 2025, the asylum review commission in Kazakhstan refused to grant Mansur Movlaev refugee status. This decision was appealed, and Movlaev's defense team also submitted his appeals to the relevant UN bodies requesting a stay of extradition to Russia.

Kazakh officials dismissed Movlaev's concerns as unfounded

Mansur Movlaev's defense team disagreed with the decision to deny him asylum, Murat Adam, the Chechen native's lawyer, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"We appealed it in court. We are awaiting the trial, but I cannot disclose all other issues due to attorney-client privilege. [Mansur's] conditions of detention are normal; there are no complaints," he said.

Another of Movlaev's lawyers, Elena Zhigalenok, explained that immediately after receiving the decision to deny refugee status, the defense team filed an administrative claim with the Specialized Interdistrict Administrative Court of Almaty.

The state agency's refusal is based on the fact that the applicant lacks a well-founded fear of persecution.

"The state agency's refusal is based on the fact that the applicant lacks a well-founded fear of persecution. However, we have filed a claim, and it has been accepted for proceedings. If the claim is denied, there will be an appeal. The deadline for filing an appeal is two months. After the appeal is reviewed, the decision will come into force. We will file a cassation appeal. But after the decision comes into force, the Prosecutor General's Office may issue a transfer order, which can be appealed to the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Human rights activist Orlov criticized the Kazakh authorities' decision

There is no doubt that the prosecution of Mansur Movlaev in Russia is politically motivated, said human rights activist Oleg Orlov (included in the register of foreign agents).

"There is no doubt about this, if only because he is accused of financing extremism. And [...] the provisions of this legislation do not correspond to the rule of law in general. They are flexible, vague, not precisely formulated, and contain obvious elements of politically repressive legislation," Oleg told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. Orlov.

The human rights activist noted that Movlaev's prosecution is connected to a case involving the financing of a Telegram channel opposed to the Chechen authorities.

08:07 February 13, 2022

Online Opposition in Chechnya: How 1Adat* Works

In the absence of any opportunities for street protests in Chechnya, the opposition has long since retreated to social media and messaging apps. One of the most popular in recent years has been the Telegram channel 1Adat*. The channel's history, why Telegram, and the security measures its participants must adhere to are described in the Caucasian Knot report.

"This is an opposition channel, and one can view it differently, but there are no grounds for initiating a criminal case for extremism against this channel. Accordingly, regardless of whether he actually financed this channel or whether it was a fabrication—as they say, the security forces themselves financed it from his phone—regardless of this, the charge is, of course, politically motivated," Orlov explained.

He will be tortured, and there will be no fair trial.

If Movlaev is extradited to Russia, he will be transferred to Chechnya, the human rights activist is convinced. "There is no reason to doubt that he will be tortured and that there will be no fair trial. Therefore, we cannot allow Movlaev to be extradited to Russia and end up in Chechnya. At the moment, it appears that the decisions of the competent authorities in Kazakhstan that are responsible for deciding this are also politically motivated," Orlov emphasized.

Human rights activists have pointed out the difficulty of recording cases of kidnappings in Chechnya

Another human rights activist familiar with Movlaev's situation also believes that Mansur Movlaev's life is at risk if he is extradited to Russia. "You don't necessarily have to engage in such [opposition] activity to risk reprisals. It's enough that he just left the country and requested asylum. But in his case, he was apparently active on social media and engaged in some kind of activity," the human rights activist, who asked that his name not be published, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The effectiveness of appeals to UN structures has been called into question

Oleg Orlov also noted the competent work of Mansur Movlaev's lawyers. "They acted intelligently, resisting his extradition for quite some time, using Kazakhstan's domestic legislation. His case must continue, despite the asylum denial. We must continue to utilize all domestic mechanisms," he said.

This is absolutely correct and the only way to prevent his extradition.

The human rights activist believes it was right that the lawyers filed complaints with the UN. "This is probably absolutely correct and the only way to prevent his extradition. On the other hand, we understand perfectly well that the UN provides us with significantly less effective mechanisms than the Council of Europe's mechanisms were. But, unfortunately, Kazakhstan is not a member of the Council of Europe. Therefore, it is impossible to use the Council of Europe's mechanisms," Orlov lamented.

He was unable to name any cases in which support from UN agencies helped people in Kazakhstan. "I don't know about Kazakhstan. Generally speaking, yes, there have been cases in the post-Soviet space, but these are very different countries. But overall, this mechanism should work," Orlov said.

Their decisions are advisory in nature.

Lawyer Timofey Shirokov expressed doubt about the effectiveness of UN structures. "Their decisions are advisory in nature. Essentially, they are not binding on the state, unlike ECHR decisions. While they may be grounds for some kind of review, say, through supervisory review, they do not halt enforcement," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the lawyer, if the court rules for extradition, it will be difficult to find other options. "If we were talking about deportation, about expulsion, then yes, it would be possible to leave for a third country. But extradition is a request from a specific country. The only thing that can save him from extradition (other than a review of the decision) is an opened criminal case in Kazakhstan itself. As it is, legal avenues are essentially closed," Shirokov stated.

As a reminder, in 2022, Movlaev was detained by security forces in Chechnya and held in an illegal prison. After escaping, he managed to reach Kyrgyzstan in January 2023. In August 2023, security forces in Kyrgyzstan detained Movlaev, who was wanted in Russia for financing extremist activity. On October 4, 2023, a Bishkek court sentenced Movlaev to six months in prison and subsequent deportation from the country. On November 20, 2023, Movlaev was released, but the decision to deport him from the country remained in effect, and he voluntarily left Kyrgyzstan to avoid deportation to his homeland.

In October 2024, Mansur Movlaev reported the kidnapping of his relatives by security forces in Chechnya. "Two of my brothers, Zelimkhan and Khamzat, have been kidnapped. They are being held and tortured, in an attempt to put pressure on me," he said in a published video.

Caucasian Knot publishes materials about human rights violations in Chechnya, Kadyrov's attacks on the opposition, and his fight against dissent in the republic on the topic page "Dissent in Chechnya".