Magomed-Amin Gatagazhev, a 20-year-old native of Ingushetia accused by Russian authorities of terrorism, has been taken into custody in Bosnia and Herzegovina, just four months after his release from a Croatian prison. He has been living in Bosnia with his family while awaiting a decision on his asylum application. His story was reported by the Balkan Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

On October 15, a Bosnian court ordered the young man to be held in temporary custody. Russian authorities allege that he participated in a terrorist organization and illegal armed groups in Syria. Gatagazhev’s family denies these accusations and fears that his return to Russia would put his life at risk.

A female relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Balkan Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he left Russia with his mother in 2014, when he was eight years old, and later studied in Turkey. According to her, he has never been to Syria, and the family is prepared to prove it.

"We believe the Russian authorities have no credible evidence. We fear for his life and safety if he is extradited to Russia," the woman said.

In the autumn of 2025, Gatagazhev was arrested in Croatia following an Interpol notice. His extradition was initially approved, but a court in Dubrovnik later reversed the decision and halted the handover. On June 9, 2026, after spending nearly eight months in custody, the Ingushetia native was released. He subsequently traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to seek asylum. According to the Sarajevo-based human rights organization Vaša prava ("Your Rights"), which represents Gatagazhev, his asylum application was scheduled to be officially registered on October 9. However, the evening before, he was detained and taken to an immigration center in East Sarajevo; following a court ruling, he was subsequently transferred to a state prison in Vojkovići.

The court emphasized that the hearing on October 15 did not address whether the conditions for extradition had been met, and noted that the asylum application would be taken into account during the proceedings. Defense attorney Rijad Kapo stated that the case is based on the same Russian arrest warrant that was used in a previous attempt to extradite Gatagazhev from Croatia. The warrant was issued in October 2022, when he was 16 years old.

Under the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina, for an extradition matter to be considered, the Russian side must submit an official request and supporting documentation to the Ministry of Justice. However, the Ministry informed the Balkan Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that it had received no such request and that Gatagazhev does not appear in their relevant records.

On October 20, the Russian side sent a letter requesting that Gatagazhev’s detention be extended to 40 days, as the necessary documents were still being prepared. This was reported to Kavkaz.Realii by Chechen human rights activist Roza Dunaeva, citing legal counsel.

In the documents submitted by the Russian side to the Croatian authorities, it was alleged that Gatagazhev had joined an armed group at the age of 13 or 14. Human rights defenders from the organization Memorial noted that Moscow failed to provide evidence to support these accusations, and that the defense was denied access to the case files. In Russia, Magomed-Amin’s sister, Leila Gatagazheva, also faced prosecution. As a child, she was taken to Syria, and later she ended up in an Iraqi prison. In June 2023, she was extradited to Russia and charged with terrorism-related offenses, but was subsequently released subject to certain restrictions.

In July 2024, Magomed-Amin Gatagazhev and Leila Gatagazheva were added to Rosfinmonitoring’s registry of terrorists and extremists.