On Thursday, April 20, the Supreme Court of Belarus considered an appeal against the decision of the Grodno Regional Court to extradite activist Nizomiddin Nasriddinov to Tajikistan.

The hearing was held in closed session, and the reasoning behind the court’s decision was not disclosed. It is known that the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the Grodno Regional Court and dismissed the appeal. Thus, the decision to extradite Nasriddinov to Tajikistan came into effect.

What’s next?

Nizomiddin will be extradited to Tajikistan, where he faces arbitrary detention and torture based on his political beliefs.

It should be noted that Nizomiddin Nasriddinov is already under international protection in Germany, which confirms that the activist was in danger in his home country and could have been subjected to unwarranted political persecution.

By extraditing him to Tajikistan, Belarus will violate its international obligations and national legislation prohibiting the return of anyone to a country where they face torture.

We once again call on the authorities of Belarus to comply with their international legal obligations regarding the absolute prohibition of torture, to revoke their decision to extradite Nasriddinov to Tajikistan, and to immediately release him so that he can return to Germany.