Czech police detain leaders of Kazakh asylum seekers
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 3 March 2009 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Czech police detain leaders of Kazakh asylum seekers, 3 March 2009, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49ae9b4cc.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated: 03.03.2009 14:40
Kairat Dosmetov
Three leading members of a group of Kazakh Muslims seeking asylum in the Czech Republic have been detained, RFE/RL's Kazakh service reports.
The leader of the group, Kairat Dosmetov, was detained March 3 in the town of Kostelec-nad-Orlici. Asylkhan Zhantasov was detained in Prague late on March 2. A third member of the group, Khamit Nurgaliev, a former imam of Atyrau city in western Kazakhstan, was detained on March 2 in eastern Czech Republic.
Czech authorities have not commented on the detentions.
The 205 refugees say they are Salafi Muslims and have been seeking asylum since 2006. They say they will be persecuted if they return to Kazakhstan.
Czech authorities rejected their applications for asylum in January, and they now face deportation.
On February 7, the Kazakh Salafi Muslims held a protest in Prague to demand that the authorities reconsider their decision.
