Ali Feruz (Russian: Али Феруз) is a dual citizen of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

, journalist and activist who worked at ''

Novaya Gazeta ''Novaya Gazeta'' (, ) is an independent Russian newspaper. It is known for its critical and investigative coverage of Russian political and social affairs, the Chechen wars, corruption among the ruling elite, and increasing authoritarianism i ...

''.

Biography

Ali Feruz was born in the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, where he spent his childhood in the Altai region of the

. He is a citizen of the

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

( formerly USSR) upon his birth on ''

jus sanguinis ( or , ), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nationals of a particular state if either or both of thei ...

'' principle. He moved to

to join his stepfather at the age of 17, and he also became a national of the

. At some point in 2009, he was detained and tortured by the Uzbek National Security Service, who were seeking to force him to become an informer. Feruz fled from

in 2009 and eventually resettled in Russia in 2011. He filed for asylum in Russia, but in October 2017 Russia rejected the latest of his asylum claims. Since 2014, he has been reporting on hate crimes, migrant workers' rights, LGBTQ-related issues for

. Due to his knowledge of several languages (including those spoken by major groups of migrant workers in Russia), Feruz is able to have a first-person perspective on these topics, resulting in unique journalistic work. On August 2, 2017, Feruz was arrested near the office of

, and was escorted to a police precinct. On the same day, he was put before the judge in Basmanniy Court, which ordered his deportation to Uzbekistan. It was reported that, after the deportation decision, he attempted to commit suicide, which was prevented by the guards. After the court decision, Feruz's lawyer appealed to the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...

, which issued an injunction requesting to stop Ali Feruz's deportation while the case is being discussed. On November 21, 2017, Basmanniy court fined Feruz for 5,000 rubles, and ordered his deportation to Uzbekistan for illegal labor activity in Russia. The deportation to Uzbekistan was suspended until the EHCR reviews the journalist's case.

Awards

In 2017, Feruz was presented with Award of Courage named after Andrei Sakharov.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Russian LGBTQ journalists Russian LGBTQ rights activists 21st-century Russian journalists Novaya Gazeta 21st-century Russian LGBTQ people {{LGBT-activist-stub