Croatia may extradite an Ingush native, Leyla Gatagazheva's brother, to Russia
A Croatian court has ordered the extradition of Russian citizen Magomed-Amin Gatagazhev, previously detained by Interpol. The 19-year-old native of Ingushetia has been held in a deportation prison in Zagreb since October of last year, according to the Memorial Human Rights Center.
The extradition decision was made at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, which accuses Gatagazhev of participating in a terrorist organization (Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code) and an armed group abroad (Part 2 of Article 208 of the Russian Criminal Code). The defense claims it was not provided with the case materials and highlights inconsistencies in the documents provided, which indicate that Gatagazhev allegedly joined an armed group at the age of 13 or 14. The lawyer described the prosecution as politically motivated and expressed fear for his client's life if extradited.
Gatagazhev's family says he lived and studied in Turkey until 2025, where his mother took him as a minor. According to his family, Gatagazhev's cellmates in the deportation prison went on a hunger strike in protest of his deportation, as well as poor conditions and rude treatment from the staff.
It should be noted that Magomed-Amin is the brother of Leyla Gatagazheva, who was extradited from Iraq to Russia in 2023. She was initially also charged with terrorism. After a lengthy stay in pretrial detention, she was released on her own recognizance.
