Gender: Male
Perpetrator: Uzbekistan
Religion or Belief: Muslim – Sunni
Reports of Torture: Yes
Date of Detainment: November/14/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Detainment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Transnational Repression
Nature of Charges: Extremism
Muhsinjon Ahmedov is detained for his religious activity.
On October 20, 2023, French authorities again detained Ahmedov, this time keeping him in a deportation center before eventually deporting him. While in the center, prison guards reportedly choked him with a cloth.
On November 14, 2023, France denied Ahmedov asylum and deported him to Uzbekistan under an expedited process based on extremism charges from Uzbek authorities for his peaceful religious activities. If found guilty, Ahmedov could face up to 20 years in prison.
On December 7, 2023, France's top administrative court ruled that the deportation was illegal and that Ahmedov should receive state compensation and be returned to France.
In 2015, Ahmedov fled Uzbekistan after facing false extremism charges following an unlawful detainment that included torture. In 2019, Ahmedov settled in France, where, in 2020, he helped rescue an elderly man and received a medal from the local mayor for his heroism. Despite advocacy from community members in France, French authorities put Ahmedov on a list of individuals that threaten national security, kept him under surveillance, and detained him for three months.
"Fire-Rescue 'Hero' Deported By France As Europe Accused Of Failing Central Asians Facing 'Transnational Repression'" Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)