ersecution; in particular, there were reports of numerous killings of civilians before and during the armed conflict in August 1997, which led to a mass exodus of ethnic Uzbeks from northern areas of Tajikistan, in particular to Uzbekistan.
Having examined Mr Khaydarov's application and having assessed his fears regarding his return to [Tajikistan], the UNHCR has established that Mr Khaydarov's application and his fears of being subjected to persecution, on the grounds of political convictions attributed to him, in the form of arrest, torture with a view to obtaining a self-incriminating deposition, unlawful and unfair trial and lengthy imprisonment for acts that he had not committed are well-founded.
...There are strong reasons to believe that the criminal proceedings against the applicant instituted by the Tajik authorities amount to persecution on the grounds of political views attributed to the applicant, since [the Tajik authorities] associate the applicant with anti-governmental activities because he had been a member of militia groups suspected of involvement in the armed conflict of August 1997.
...
The UNHCR considers that there are serious concerns that Mr Khaydarov will be subjected to torture and other violations of basic human rights, which mean that there is an even greater risk of his being persecuted on the grounds of political views attributed to him. ...[Mr Khaydarov's] case corresponds to the definition of a "refugee" within the meaning of the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the Russian Refugees Act.
...Mr Khaydarov is charged with... banditry. However, it is noteworthy that the criminal case in which Mr Khaydarov is charged was opened in 2001 and the preliminary investigation concerning Mr Khaydarov was suspended in 2006, which shows that during such a lengthy period of investigation no proof of his guilt had been found and that the requesting State has no such proof.
The Tajik authorities have not provided a single piece of factual evidence of Mr Khaydarov's criminal activity in his country of origin, and the documents provided by the Tajik counterparty as a basis for extradition are contradictory. ...[t]he UNHCR concludes that there is no reliable evidence of the fact that Mr Khaydarov committed criminal acts, such as banditry, while in Tajik territory."
E. The applicant's detention
47. On 17 April 2008 the applicant was arrested in Moscow as a person wanted by the Tajik authorities. Upon his arrest the applicant learned for the first time that there had been criminal proceedings against him. On the same date the Tajik Ministry of the Interior requested the Russian police to keep the applicant in custody pursuant to the Minsk Convention.
48. The applicant was then placed in remand prison IZ-77/4 in Moscow.
49. On 19 April 2008 the Taganskiy District Court of Moscow ordered the applicant's placement in custody pending extradition pursuant to Articles 97, 99 and 108 and Article 466 § 1 of the Russian Code of Criminal Procedure (CCP). The court stated that on 19 July 2006 the applicant had been put on a wanted list and that he had no permanent place of residence in Russia and concluded that, if not in custody, he could escape and impede his extradition to Tajikistan. The term of the detention was not specified.
50. On 18 June 2008 the Taganskiy District Court again ordered the applicant's placement in custody pursuant to Articles 108 and 466 of the CCP for an unspecified period of time. The court reasoned that less severe preventive measures could not be applied because the applicant had been at large since 1996, was a Tajikistani national, had no registered place of residence in Russia and was charged with a crime that was punishable by imprisonment for more than two years.
51. On 6 October 2008
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