UNHCR Help
UN Refugee Agency country pages: how to apply for asylum, where to go, local partner contacts.
Get in touch
help.unhcr.org
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Extradition request or expulsion from Georgia or Armenia
Right now
- Refuse simplified extradition and any 'voluntary' return to Russia.
- Sign nothing without a lawyer and an interpreter.
- State at once that the prosecution is political and apply for asylum.
Draft: not yet checked by a lawyer
The guides below are drafts: a lawyer has not reviewed them yet. This is not legal advice. Draft What human rights defenders advise
Extradition request or expulsion from Georgia or Armenia
- Do not agree to simplified extradition or a 'voluntary' return to Russia, and sign nothing without a lawyer and an interpreter.
- State at once that the prosecution is political and apply for asylum. Extradition decisions can be appealed at every level.
- If removal is imminent, a lawyer can urgently ask the ECHR for an interim measure (Rule 39) or apply to the UN Human Rights Committee. Georgia ignored such a measure once in 2026, so publicity may be needed too. Discuss it with your lawyer.
- If you are being expelled over an administrative offence, ask to leave for a third country instead: a court allowed this in Kulanin's case. Where to turn: The Ark, First Department, HCA Vanadzor (Armenia), GYLA (Georgia).
current as of 25 September 2026. More: ECHR: interim measures; Meduza: Kulanin allowed to leave for a third country (undesirable); Echo of the Caucasus: Georgia extradites a wanted man to Russia (February 2026) (undesirable)
Who helps
6 organisations · contacts checked against the organisations' sites 26 September 2026Where you are now
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Georgian Young Lawyers' Association (GYLA)
One of Georgia's oldest human rights groups: strategic litigation, defence of people detained at protests, ECHR applications.
Since 14 March 2026 its general free legal aid is suspended: GYLA runs in 'crisis mode' and takes only strategic cases. Staff has been cut and the Batumi office closed. For a free consultation, try the Transparency International Georgia legal centre.
Get in touch
gyla.ge
Helsinki Citizens' Assembly, Vanadzor (HCA Vanadzor)
Free legal aid to victims of rights abuses, including torture; ECHR cases. Documented the removal of a Russian deserter via the Gyumri base.
The hcav.am website sometimes does not open. Contact them via Facebook; from Russia it opens only through a VPN.
Other ways to reach them: hcav.am
Get in touch
facebook.com
First Department
Lawyers for treason, espionage, state secrets and extremism cases, including closed trials. Advice on digital security.
The only official bot is @deptonebot. It never asks for money or SMS codes.
Other ways to reach them: website · info@dept.one
Message the bot
@deptonebot
The Ark (Kovcheg)
Legal advice for people who have left (documents, residence permits, visas, asylum, extradition risk), temporary housing, free psychologists, mutual-aid chats by city.
Lawyers via the Telegram bots @kovcheglive_bot and @EmigrantHelpBot; psychologists and housing via forms on the website. Psychologists: 4-week online groups; waiting time from a few days to weeks. The Ark itself is a 'foreign agent'. The project was set up with support from the Anti-War Committee, designated 'terrorist' in Russia since March 2026. The Kovcheg website footer links to the Anti-War Committee: do not follow that link or subscribe to its channels from a device that could be checked.
Other ways to reach them: team@kovcheg.live
Get in touch
kovcheg.live
Anti-War Committee 'Consuls'
Emergency help for anti-war Russians abroad facing deportation to Russia or refusal of residence or asylum: appeals to authorities, finding local lawyers. 13 countries: 10 EU countries, Montenegro, the UK and the US. Apply via the form on the website.
On 2 March 2026 Russia's Supreme Court designated the Anti-War Committee a 'terrorist organisation'. It has been 'undesirable' since January 2024 and on the Rosfinmonitoring list since June 2026. Contacting, taking part or donating can lead to charges under terrorism articles for anyone with ties to Russia or plans to travel there. They do not help people inside Russia. Use only if you face a real deportation threat.
Get in touch
This organisation is designated "terrorist" in Russia. If you are in Russia, travel there or have family there, contacting it can be treated as "participation" or "assistance" (arts. 205.1, 205.5 of the Criminal Code, up to life imprisonment). Write only if you really face extradition, and not from a phone that may be checked.
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