The Supreme Court of Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic has extended the arrest for Tajik national Furqat Abdufattoyev for two months on the basis of a new request filed by the Kyrgyz authorities, Abdufattoyev’s relatives told Asia-Plus in an interview.
Abdufattoyev was detained in Russia in February at the request of the Kyrgyz authorities. The Kyrgyz authorities accuse him of participating in mass unrest during border clashes between residents of border areas of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
“The first request indicated the date at which our brother was in Russia and he could not participate in the indicated riots in any way, but the court decided to arrest him. The second request filed by the Kyrgyz authorities now indicates another data. The Supreme Court of Bashkortostan has considered it an official document and decided to extend the arrest for Furqat,” Furqat’s brother, Farid Abdufattoyev, told Asia-Plus in an interview.
A statement released by Russian Interior Ministry’s Directorate for Bashkortostan says Furqat Abdufattoyev is suspected of participating in mass unrest along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border on July 22, 2019.
Recall, tensions reportedly spilled over when villagers in Tajikistan's Vorukh exclave in the Ferghana Valley began installing Tajik flags on the Isfara-Vorukh road, which angered Kyrgyz villagers. The clashes reportedly left at least one dead and several more wounded.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan noted in early February that they keep track of the case and Furqat Abdufattoyev is “under the protection of the state and cannot be extradited to a foreign state.”
On February 2, Tajikistan’s General Consulate in Ufa sent official letter to Bashkortostan’s Interior Ministry and Chief Prosecutor’s Office noting that in accordance with Article 16 of Tajikistan’s Constitution, “A citizen of Tajikistan outside the country borders is under the protection of the State. No citizen of the Republic may be extradited to a foreign State. Extradition of a criminal to a foreign State is resolved on the basis of a bilateral agreement.”
Recalling Article 59 of the Minsk Convention and Article 89 of the Chisinau Convention, Tajik authorities urged to observe them, the Tajik MFA information department noted that time.
