France cancels extradition of Chechen refugee to Russia

The Court of Appeal in Lyon overturned the decision to extradite Chechen native Imran Albakov to the Russian Federation. Russian law enforcement agencies sought his extradition, accusing him of participation in an illegal armed formation.

The basis for the French court’s decision is the threat to Albakov’s life and health on Russian territory. This conclusion was previously voiced by the European Court of Human Rights.

Imran is the brother of Islam Albakov. The latter has been in a deportation center in Belgium since 2019; the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation is also seeking his extradition. Recently, rallies were held in his support in Brussels and Vienna demanding his release. Human rights activists reported a deterioration in his health.

Последние новости
Disappearances, raids and torture: what Anna Politkovskaya wrote about the second Russian-Chechen war
Chronicle of Wars and Crimes
Disappearances, raids and torture: what Anna Politkovskaya wrote about the second Russian-Chechen war
7 October 2026

Anna Politkovskaya was killed on 7 October 2006. Her articles, written from behind Chechnya’s blood-soaked information wall and barbed wire, became a voice of truth — the truth about what residents of the republic were experiencing as they became a convenient and powerless collective victim of the global “fight against international terrorism”.

Anna Politkovskaya’s name laid out in flowers in Oslo
Human rights
Anna Politkovskaya’s name laid out in flowers in Oslo
7 October 2026

Memorial events for Anna Politkovskaya are taking place in countries around the world today, marking 20 years since the murder of the journalist, who spent many years reporting on the war in Chechnya and human rights violations.

 

European Parliament Demands Withdrawal of Lawsuit to Ban Opposition Parties in Georgia
Politics
European Parliament Demands Withdrawal of Lawsuit to Ban Opposition Parties in Georgia
7 October 2026

In a draft resolution, the European Parliament has called on Georgian authorities to immediately withdraw the constitutional lawsuit seeking to ban opposition parties. The document is set for a vote on October 8, following a debate on the country's political situation taking place in Strasbourg on October 7.

On Putin’s birthday, Kadyrov speaks of the
Politics
On Putin’s birthday, Kadyrov speaks of the "special significance" of his name for Chechnya
7 October 2026

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov congratulated Vladimir Putin on his birthday and stated that the Russian president's name holds "special significance" for the Chechen people. According to Kadyrov, the region will "never forget" the support Putin extended to his father—Chechnya’s first president, Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov—"at a time when the future of the Chechen Republic depended on the decisions being made."