18:14, 1 April 2024

Native of Chechnya released from deportation prison in Belgium

Islam Albakov, a native of Chechnya, who had been kept in a deportation prison in Belgium since 2019, has been released, the "Vayfond" human rights association has in its Telegram channel.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Islam's health condition had deteriorated greatly; he is almost blind, but does not receive the needed medical care, human rights defenders reported earlier this January.

Let us remind you that Islam Albakov and his brother Imran were detained in 2018 in France. They had been wanted by the Interpol because in Russia they were accused of taking part in an illegal armed formation (IAF). A court in Lyon acquitted the Albakovs, after which Islam went to his family in Belgium, where he was again detained in February 2019.

In 2020, the issue of Albakov's deportation to Russia arose again, but human rights defenders and members of the Chechen Diaspora held rallies and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). They succeeded in cancelling the deportation, but Islam Albakov remained in the deportation prison without seeing any charges or sentence.

In January 2024, the appeal court in Lyon overturned the decision to extradite Imran Albakov to Russia. The court recognized the threat to his life and health in his homeland, Abubakar Yangulbaev, a lawyer, has explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 31, 2024 at 01:43 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot