Kazakhstan court rejects asylum appeal of former Navalny volunteer, clearing way for extradition to Russia

A cassation court in the Kazakhstani capital of Astana has upheld a decision to deny asylum to Yulia Yemelyanova, a former volunteer at a campaign office for the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, according to the activist group the Russian Anti-War Committee.

The committee said its representatives argued in court that Yemelyanova faces a risk of political persecution and torture if she is returned to Russia. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence of such risks. Afterwards, the committee said that the decision leaves nothing to prevent Kazakhstan from extraditing the activist to Russia.

Yemelyanova is accused of stealing a taxi driver’s phone in 2021, a charge she denies. Human rights defenders have noted that the complaint wasn’t filed until a month after the alleged theft; Yemelyanova said she first saw the phone at the police station.

She was detained at Almaty airport in August 2025 while flying from Georgia to Vietnam. In February, Kazakhstan approved her extradition to Russia but later suspended the procedure pending a decision on her asylum application.

The Russian Anti-War Committee also said that Kazakhstan has begun coordinating with Russia on the extradition of Chechen activist Mansur Movlayev, who was detained in the country in May 2025. The exact date and time of the handover have not been disclosed.

In July, a court extended Movlayev’s detention by another five months, until 13 January 2027. Russia is seeking his extradition on extortion charges, which Movlaev says were fabricated.

In September, Movlaev twice attempted suicide in his pretrial detention centre. Before the first attempt, he left a note saying he was tired of injustice and would not let Kadyrov’s men torture him again.

Movlaev was abducted and tortured by security forces twice in Chechnya before fleeing Russia on forged documents. He had previously provided the opposition movement 1ADAT, anonymously, with information on abductions, torture and disappearances in Chechnya.

Since he fled, Chechen security forces have repeatedly abducted his relatives, including his parents and brother.