A Russian man, who escaped from a military unit, has been given one month to voluntarily leave Kazakhstan. The man believes that he was denied refugee status and is being forced to leave the country in order for Kazakhstan to avoid damaging relations with Russia, reports ‘My City.’
On May 25, the regional court of Kazakhstan considered the appeal of Igor Sandzhiev. Last year, Sandzhiev was called to serve in the Russian military, as part of the regime’s mobilisation. However, in March 2023, Sandzhiev escaped from his military unit, crossed the border from Russia into Kazakhstan near the village of Saykhin, arriving in Uralsk. Upon arrival, Sandzhiev requested refugee status, as he refused to go to war in Ukraine and kill civilians.
Previously, the Bokeyorda District Court had issued a guilty verdict against the Sandzhiev. The court found him guilty under Article 392 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which concerns the ‘Intentional illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Kazakhstan.’ He initially was sentenced to six months of restricted freedom, but as an additional punishment, the court decided to deport him from Kazakhstan and ban him from returning for five years.
Before the start of the hearing, Sandzhiev’s lawyer, Yury Kobzarev, noted that the Russian now has a permanent place of residence in the Adaptation Center. In addition, his brother, Artur Sandzhiev is now living in Kazakhstan, having received a residence permit and has been in Almaty for more than a year.
‘Sandzhiev crossed the state border in order to get to another country, namely the Republic of Kazakhstan, in order to obtain refugee status. He did not commit any illegal actions. Sandzhiev has his own political point of view; his position was at odds with the widespread public opinion in the Russian Federation on the fact of the introduction of hostilities in Ukraine. He fulfilled his duty to his homeland in peacetime. In our country the rights of a foreign citizen are protected by the Constitution, and he also has a full right to appeal the rulings. The court of the first instance violated Sandzhiev’s rights by not allowing him to appeal the denial of refugee status and illegally made a decision on deportation. I ask the court to repeal the verdict of the district court and cancel the deportation,’ said Yury Kobzarev.
However, the court, having considered the complaint, decided to uphold the verdict of the Bokeyorda district court. The ruling will come into force from the date of its announcement and is not subject to appeal. However, it can be reviewed by the panel of the Supreme Court.
Igor Sandzhiev and his lawyer did not agree with the decision and have stated that they will appeal it in a higher court.
‘My client was given one month to leave the country voluntarily. But his passport is in the military unit, and all he has with him is his driving license and military ID card. He will need his passport to cross the border. The fact is that he cannot leave. In addition, my client must pay 34 thousand tenge to the victims’ compensation fund, which he does not have,’ – said Yury Kobzarev.
The Russian believes that he is not given the refugee status just to avoid spoiling relations with the neighbouring country. And so
The Sandzhiev believes that he is not given the refugee status just to avoid damaging relations with Kazakhstan’s neighbour. He also believes this decision has been made in order to discourage others from receiving refugee status after defecting.
SOURCE:
My City Internet Portal
PHOTO: My City Internet portal
