Ukraine rejects Osmayev's request for asylum, says suspect's wife

Ukraine has refused to grant asylum to Adam Osmayev, a prime suspect in the case on a plot to assassinate President Vladimir Putin, according to Osmayev's wife, Amina Okuyeva.

She said that her husband indeed asked for asylum in Ukraine, but the State Migration Service of Ukraine refused even to consider the case.

"Although the reasons indicated in the documents were more than solid," she said.

According to Okuyeva, Osmayev has appealed to the Court of Appeals against the migration service's decision and the court is to consider the issue soon.

She added that her husband is intending to seek political asylum in Georgia or Finland.

"We have sent the documents to Georgian officials and we are asking for political asylum. The Georgian side is considering the documents," Okuyeva said.

At the same time, she did not rule out that Osmayev could seek asylum in Finland in case Georgia rejects his request.

As reported, the regional representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Ukraine reported that Adam Osmayev asked for asylum in Ukraine.

Ukraine suspended the procedure of extradition of Osmayev to Russia.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decided to advise Ukraine not to temporarily extradite Adam Osmayev to Russia.

The ECHR has not yet begun to consider the case on its merits, but since it is a matter of life and death of a person, it recommended that Ukraine suspend the extradition process until the consideration of the case is completed.

As reported, the alleged criminals who were on the international wanted list were arrested during a special operation in Odesa on February 4. These individuals are suspected of staging an explosion in Odesa on January 4, 2012. The explosion killed 26-year-old Russian Ruslan Madayev and seriously injured 28-year-old Kazakh citizen Ilya Pyanzin.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office sent a criminal case, which was opened earlier by the Interior Ministry under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal treatment of weapons, ammunition or explosives), to the investigation department of the SBU office in Odesa region.

Pyanzin was arrested and started actively cooperating with investigators, saying that the leader of his group was Osmayev (who was arrested in Odesa in February).

On February 27, the SBU confirmed reports that Russian and Ukrainian security services had foiled a plot by terrorists, who were arrested in Odesa, to assassinate Putin after presidential elections in Russia.

In March 2012, the testimony of suspects helped to open a criminal case against the detainees under Article 258-3 (the creation of a terrorist organization) and Articles 14 and 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (plotting a terrorist attack).

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office received a request from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office for the extradition of Osmayev, a suspect in Putin's assassination plot.

The Odesa Region Court of Appeals backed the proposal of the Russian Prosecutor's General Office to extradite Osmayev to Russia on August 14.