First and foremost, it is essential to highlight the unique experience of the president of the Asylum Research & Global Assistance Association, Sergey Khrabrykh.
In a short period, Sergey realized the urgent need to leave Russia. He was initially placed on the federal wanted list, soon followed by an international search. Moreover, his lawyer was informed of a pretrial decision to impose a two-month arrest in absentia.
Sergey fled to Spain, where he lived for about 1.5 years. Later, at the request of Interpol, Sergey was detained and placed in the Alicante Detention Center. Extradition proceedings to Russia were initiated against him.
However, the evidence of Sergey’s guilt, presented by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office, appeared laughable to the Spanish judiciary. The entire investigative case was built on the recording of a single anonymous phone call.
After lengthy legal battles, Sergey managed to clear his name, and Interpol removed his status as a subject of an international search. Subsequently, he was granted political asylum in France. Sergey bravely gave a public interview, openly exposing the massive corruption within the Russian Ministry of Defense, involving Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu personally. Following the interview's publication, Interpol received renewed requests for Sergey's arrest, initiated by security officials at Shoigu and his deputies' request. However, these attempts proved futile.
Human rights advocacyThe president of the association has gained extensive experience in defending against unjust extradition, removal from Interpol lists, and obtaining political asylum.
Recognizing the importance of continuing the fight against the Putin regime and the increasing scale of political persecution in his homeland, Sergey dedicated himself to human rights advocacy. He founded Asylum Research & Global Assistance to leverage the expertise of the international human rights community to assist victims of repression and bring closer the dawn of a new democratic era in Russian history.
Since 2022, our association has successfully developed over 35 cases for political asylum in France. These include cases of individual victims of repression as well as entire families, where multiple people are placed under protection.
A particular focus of our work is on those who refuse to become accomplices in the crimes in Ukraine. The European Union has provisions that offer protection to individuals who do not wish to participate in a war that violates international law. The association has already assisted dozens of young people who fled forced conscription. Each of these individuals represents one less soldier for Putin's army and a step forward toward Ukraine's victory.
Another area of our work involves the protection of Russian entrepreneurs. Specifically, we have successfully defended 12 entrepreneurs from Russia against criminal prosecution, international searches, and extradition. One of our core principles is the confidentiality of the individuals we assist, which is why we deliberately refrain from mentioning names
Research activitiesWe proudly present an important event that took place on November 28, 2023—the round table conference held at the prestigious Sorbonne University. This noteworthy gathering served as a platform for our esteemed specialists to deliver in-depth presentations on a range of key topics, each with significant implications for the global situation.
The presentations covered topics such as the use of Interpol by the Russian Federation to extradite political opponents under the guise of economic criminal cases, the use of "Smart City" technology and artificial intelligence to control Russian citizens, sports as a vector for spreading the Russian government's official propaganda, the regulation and utilization of cryptocurrencies by the Russian government, and the characteristics and prospects of the French economy in the context of the war in Ukraine.
You can watch our team's presentations on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmVHo5ZXtCEh60gOMS_b-Cw