The UN Human Rights Committee has demanded that Georgia refrain from extraditing Mikhail Timofeyev—an associate and former aide to former Khabarovsk Krai Governor Sergei Furgal—to Russia pending the consideration of his complaint. This was stated in a letter from the Committee dated September 29, as reported by The Insider.
The Committee ruled to apply interim measures: Georgia must refrain from the “extradition, deportation, expulsion, or other return” of Timofeyev to Russia while his petition is under review. Formally, this is framed in the letter as a request to the state; however, the Committee’s own rules stipulate that failure to implement interim measures is incompatible with a state’s obligation to respect the individual communications procedure in good faith.
Lawyer and human rights activist Roman Kislyak explained in an interview with The Insider that such an order is binding on Georgia, which has acceded to the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights:
“The Human Rights Committee’s order is binding on Georgia. It is phrased as a request, but one should not be deceived—this is diplomatic language, courtesy. Its binding nature stems from the fact that Georgia signed and ratified the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides for an individual complaints procedure regarding violations of the Covenant. Today, we received a note confirming the registration of the case with the Human Rights Committee and the issuance of interim measures regarding Mikhail Timofeyev. The case is now under consideration by the Human Rights Committee. In accordance with the principle of pacta sunt servanda, Georgia must refrain from any actions that would impede the Committee from examining this communication.”
According to the lawyer, Georgia’s competent authorities must release Timofeyev from custody, as he was detained solely to facilitate extradition. Furthermore, extradition will not be possible in the coming years due to the registration of his case with the Human Rights Committee: “This will take some time—days, a week, perhaps two weeks, until the issue of his release is resolved at the domestic level.”
“Georgia’s track record is positive; I am not aware of any instances where Georgia has failed to comply with interim measures issued by the Human Rights Committee or other UN treaty bodies. I believe Georgia will comply with these interim measures in this case as well,” Kislyak noted.
According to him, only a handful of countries in the world systematically fail to adhere to the interim measures of treaty bodies, most notably the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation. Other states endeavor to comply with such interim measures.
Kislyak noted that the defense specifically requested that the ban cover not only extradition, but also deportation, expulsion, and other means of returning Timofeyev to Russia. As an example, he cited the case of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, in whose favor the European Court of Human Rights had previously issued interim measures against extradition from Georgia to Azerbaijan. According to the rights advocate, this case was also cited in Timofeyev’s complaint to prevent the Georgian authorities from circumventing the ban by substituting one procedure for another.
Notably, on September 4, the Tbilisi City Court ruled to extradite Timofeyev to Russia. The former adviser to Furgal was detained in Georgia in January 2026. He arrived in March 2024 and applied for asylum, citing political persecution in Russia, but Georgian authorities rejected his application. In Russia, Timofeyev is accused of involvement in murders and attempted murders of businesspeople in 2004–2005.