ISHR, Consuls of the Anti-War Committee of Russia and The Ark once again urge Kazakhstan to prevent the extradition of Movlaev and Emelianova to Russia

Chechen activist Mansur Movlaev, who has spent the past 16 months in prison awaiting his extradition to the Russian Federation, attempted to take his own life. He received prompt medical assistance, his life is now out of danger. Movlaev left a note in which he asked to be buried in Kazakhstan so that “even his dead body would not end up in Russia.” He also demanded that the extradition to Russia of another activist detained in a Kazakh detention centre, Julia Emelianova, must be prevented. The International Society for Human Rights (ISHR/IGFM), the Consuls of the Anti-War Committee of Russia and the project “The Ark” stress that returning Movlaev and Emelianova to Russia would put their freedom, security and even their lives at risk.

Human rights organisations call on the Kazakh authorities to take immediate measures to protect the life and safety of Mansur Movlaev and Julia Emelianova, revoke the decisions to extradite them to Russia, and allow them to leave the Republic of Kazakhstan.The principle of non-refoulement prohibits returning a person to a country where there are serious grounds to fear torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, or other grave human rights violations. This principle is of crucial importance in the cases of Movlaev and Emelianova.

“Mansur Movlaev’s suicide attempt shows just how desperate the situation has become. For more than a year, he has been behind bars, waiting for a decision about his fate and fearing his return to Russia. His plea to protect Julia Emelianova must not be ignored either. We call on the President of Kazakhstan to intervene and prevent the extradition of Mansur Movlaev and Julia Emelianova to the Russian authorities,” says Valerio Krüger, the speaker of the ISHR/IGFM.

Farewell letter from Mansur Movlaev © ISHR

The cases of Movlaev and Emelianova

Mansur Movlaev has been held in extradition detention in Almaty since May 2025. Russia is seeking his extradition in connection with a fabricated criminal case. On 10 September 2026, the Cassation Court of Kazakhstan upheld the refusal to grant him asylum. At the same time, interim measures issued by the UN Human Rights Committee remain in place, preventing his extradition to Russia. Movlaev remains in detention; in July, his detention was extended until 13 January 2027.

Julia Emelianova, a former volunteer at Alexei Navalny’s office, was detained in Almaty in August 2025. In January 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan approved her extradition, and her defence has appealed the decision. In August 2026, Emelianova’s detention was extended by a further six months, until 28 February 2027. In one of her letters from prison, Julia also stated that she considers extradition to Russia worse than death.

For many months, human rights defenders, politicians, civil society organisations and UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Russia Mariana Katzarova have repeatedly called on Kazakhstan to prevent the extradition of Mansur Movlaev and Yulia Emelianova. We urge the Kazakh authorities to uphold their international human rights obligations, respect the principle of non-refoulement and stand on the side of justice and human rights.