The problem of obtaining asylum in the Russian state has existed for several decades. Unfortunately, government agencies are too subjective in relation to certain individuals. Often this leads to rather disastrous consequences. Thus, a considerable number of cases were recorded when people were unjustly deported. A similar problem arose with the famous journalist Ali Feruz, whose biography will be described in this article.
Who is Ali Feruz?
The real name of Ali Feruz is Khudoberdi Nurmatov. He was born in 1986 in the Uzbek city of Kokand. At the age of five, the boy moved with his mother to Russia. He studied at the Ongudai school in Altai. There he receives his first passport and citizenship. However, after three years, the young man takes on a new name and surname, after which he goes to Kazan.
At the age of 19, Ali enters the Department of Arabic at the Russian Islamic University. In 2008, Feruz marries a citizen of Kyrgyzstan, after which he returns to his homeland. ATUzbekistan Ali starts trading in the market.
The biography of journalist Ali Feruz is really unusual. The young man changed his place of residence seven times and each time faced many problems. Ali's relationship with the Uzbek authorities looks especially interesting.
Feruz and Uzbek security services
In 2008, Ali settled in his native state. Having a higher Russian education, the young man chose to engage in trade in Uzbekistan. The problems began on September 28, 2008, when Feruz was kidnapped from his home by representatives of the SBU (Uzbekistan's security services).
Law enforcement officers demanded from Ali information about the political views of his acquaintances. According to Feruz himself, for two days SBU employees used severe torture and threatened his pregnant wife. The young man was beaten and tortured for several days. Feruz was later falsely accused and placed in jail. Only in 2011, Ali was offered cooperation, as a result of which he managed to go free.
Asian persecution
Feruz did not stay free in Uzbekistan for long. Literally a week after Ali was released, law enforcement officers again showed up. This time they demanded information about some Islamist underground. The young man managed to leave Uzbekistan on time.
Together with his wife, Ali went to Kyrgyzstan. In this state, he hoped to receive temporary asylum. However, Feruz was not lucky here either: an agreement was signed between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistanon the transfer of wanted persons. Ali went to Kazakhstan, where the situation repeated itself.
Prison in Tashkent. See photo below.
In Astana, Feruz turned to the Office of the UN High Commissioner. Ali requested refugee status in a "third country", which is usually the United States or some European country. However, Feruz was refused. At the end of 2011, the biography of the future journalist Ali Feruz was already spoiled. Multiple persecutions, a prison term, a large number of charges - with all this "baggage" the young man decided to go to Russia.
In the Russian Federation
In 2011, Feruz moved to Russia - this time without his family. However, the problems didn't end there. In 2012, a bag containing an Uzbek passport was stolen from a young man. The possibility of legalization in Russia has become close to zero. The fact is that in order to restore Ali's passport, he would have to apply to the Moscow embassy of Uzbekistan. There, most likely, Feruz could be sent home. Fearing further persecution, the young man applied for temporary asylum. However, the Russian authorities denied Ali.
At the moment journalist Ali Feruz is in a hopeless situation. Without a passport and a temporary asylum document, a young man faces a temporary detention center and subsequent deportation to Uzbekistan.
Ali Feruz - Novaya Gazeta journalist
For six years in Russiaour hero has changed a lot. According to his acquaintances, the young man stopped practicing Islam. Ali became an atheist, treating any religion, albeit tolerantly, but with a certain amount of hostility. Perhaps this is due to the recent coming out of the journalist: Feruz said that he considers himself an open homosexual.
In 2014, a young man was admitted to the editorial office of Novaya Gazeta. Ali Feruz received journalist status here shortly after bringing a story about Mirsobir Khamidkariev, an Asian citizen abducted in central Moscow who was later handed over to Uzbekistan's security service. The journalists liked the note, but our hero was advised to learn Russian. Two years later, Feruz returned to the editorial office again. According to representatives of Novaya Gazeta, Ali today is a strong, confident, and brilliant writer.
Feruz's career
According to Elena Kostyuchenko, Novaya Gazeta representative, Feruz quickly acquired the status of an indispensable professional. The young man is a brilliant polyglot: he knows six languages, including Turkish, Arabic, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Kazakh and Russian. Ali constantly helps out his colleagues: in 2016, during an attempted military coup in Turkey, Feruz translated Turkish news. During the terrorist attack in Istanbul, Ali contacted local residents and contacted representatives of the media.
Journalist Ali Feruz, whose photos are presented in our article, makes vivid and memorable reports. It was not without his help that it was revealedfraud with payment for the work of janitors in Moscow. Ali investigated the fight at the Khovansky cemetery, compiled a report on the slave system in Golyanovo. In fact, Feruz got an excellent job, where he is appreciated by his colleagues in the state. There was only one problem - the complete absence of a passport and citizenship.
What do human rights defenders demand?
Over the past few months, a real stir has been created around the person of Feruz. Human rights activists do not stop writing articles and complaints, and Internet users sign petitions. At the end of 2016, the editor-in-chief of Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov, turned to the head of the Russian state with a request to help Feruz. In response, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the administration is aware of the situation with the journalist. However, they do not yet know what to do with Ali Feruz, whose photo you will find in the article.
What do Uzbek law enforcers accuse Feruz of? Ali has been charged with recruiting people into radical organizations. Recently, Alexander Nikitin, a Tambov resident convicted of terrorism, testified. According to him, it was Feruz who was the main recruiter in one of the terrorist systems. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has no complaints about the journalist: Ali was not wanted, did not commit crimes and is not suspected of extremism.
Feruz Protection
Many international human rights institutions are in defense of Ali. According to them, the deportation of Feruz to his homeland will result in many years of imprisonment and severe torture. Uzbekrepresentatives insist on the immediate deportation of Feruz. According to the SBU, Ali is involved in the Salafi movement, which preached jihad. Feruz allegedly shaved off his beard, changed his mind from a radical Muslim to an atheist, after which he decided to hide in Russia.
Russian human rights activists do not find evidence for the words of representatives from the SBU. Defenders of the journalist are sure that the persecution of Feruz is connected with his non-traditional political and ideological views. It has long been known that in many countries of Central Asia, dissidents are persecuted and subjected to severe torture. Moreover, Ali is openly gay. In Uzbekistan, homosexuality is punishable by three years in prison.
Is deportation possible?
The biography of journalist Ali Feruz can end rather badly. In fact, the life of a young man today is in the hands of the Russian authorities. The issue of deportation is quite acute, although many people have sided with the journalist today.
At the same time, it is worth distinguishing between the concepts of extradition and expulsion. The problem of extraditing Feruz to Uzbekistan is not relevant yet: the journalist has not been charged in Russia, and he is not on the international wanted list. The issue of expulsion is much more acute. Ali in the Russian Federation without a passport, and therefore violates migration laws.
However, the young man constantly submits asylum applications and appeals to the Russian authorities. By law, a person cannot be deported during an appeal. If the decision to expel allaccepted, there will be an opportunity to file a complaint with the ECtHR. Within 39 hours, the European court may decide on the inadmissibility of deportation. The Russian authorities are obliged to comply with this requirement.
So far, the biography of Ali Feruz is not finished. A person has a chance to stay in Russia and continue his writing career. Ali's relatives and friends are confident that the Russian judiciary will make the right decision and allow the journalist to stay in the country. In any case, the expulsion decision is unlikely to be political or indicative.
