A Moscow court turns down a lawsuit by a reporter awaiting deportation

A Moscow district court has rejected a lawsuit by Novaya Gazeta freelance reporter Khudoberdi Nurmatov (who writes under the pen name Ali Feruz) against Russia’s Interior Ministry (MVD). Nurmatov tried to challenge the MVD immigration department’s decision to deny him temporary asylum in Russia.

In August 2017, the European Court of Human Rights prohibited Nurmatov’s deportation from Russia, until it can review his case and reach a decision on the legality of his deportation. A Moscow court later ruled that Nurmatov will remain in a special temporary detention center for foreign citizens until the ECHR has reviewed his appeal, or until a Russian court has allowed him to leave state custody.