UNHCR alarmed over asylum-seeker extradition from Kyrgyzstan
UNHCR alarmed over asylum-seeker extradition from Kyrgyzstan
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is alarmed over the extradition of an asylum-seeker from Kyrgyzstan to Belarus, despite threats to the individual’s life and strong opposition from human rights groups.
According to reports, the asylum-seeker, a Ukrainian citizen originally from Belarus, was detained and handed over to the Belarusian authorities in early March. A court decision led to extradition while refugee status determination procedures were still pending. The asylum-seeker was previously recognized as a refugee in Ukraine, before acquiring Ukrainian citizenship.
UNHCR had intervened with the authorities of Kyrgyzstan, strongly opposing the move.
The extradition of an asylum-seeker to any country where the individual faces serious harm constitutes a violation of the principle of non-refoulement. This principle, enshrined in the 1951 UN Refugee Convention – of which the Kyrgyz Republic is a signatory – prohibits states from returning a refugee or asylum-seeker to territories where there is a risk to life or freedom.
The forced return of any person to a risk of torture or other serious human rights violations is also contrary to the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and other international treaties ratified by the Kyrgyz Republic, and under its national legislation relating to refugees.
UNHCR calls on the Kyrgyz Republic to refrain from extraditing or otherwise forcibly returning asylum-seekers and refugees to their country of origin where they may face threats to their lives or liberty.
END
![Poland. Refugees from Ukraine at the Kapelanka hostel](/asia/sites/asia/files/RF1261127_0_3.jpg "Tetiana (50) with her daughter Masha (12) from Ukraine. They live in Interhouse hotel which is a shelter for refugees.Tetiana fled her home in Dnipro, Ukraine in March 2022 with her daughter Masha. They lived next to a military unit that was under attack all the time. Tetiana was terrified when Masha shouted, "Mom, they're shooting." Masha has Downs syndrome and epilepsy. She had a panic attack.In Poland, they first lived near the border somewhere in a school turned into a shelter. Now they live in a hotel. Tetiana receives 500 zloty a month from the Polish state for Masha and a child's pension from Ukraine, which is why she is able to meet her basic needs on her own. "I miss home. I have a vegetable garden there. I dream of going back there one day," she says. But she adds that he is learning Polish just in case. In Ukraine, Tetiana was a dance instructor, and she would like to continue her job in Poland.Tetiana is now worrying about her parents who are on her way from Donetsk to Krakow.")