US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained activist Alexander Bolokhoyev, who asked for political asylum in 2022. He is threatened with deportation to Russia, his associates are sure that it threatens his life, writes the publication “People of Baikal”.
Why Bolokhoyev asked for asylum is not specified. According to Marina Khankhalaeva, leader of the Movement for Independence of Buryatia “Tusgaar Buryaad – Mongolia”, Bolokhoyev was actively involved in the anti-war activities of the movement. She fears that torture and death await the activist in Russia for his open participation in the organisation’s activities.
Bolokhoyev, in particular, is named as one of the signatories of the Declaration of the Congress of Buryat political organisations in New York in 2023. The text calls the seizure of the modern territory of Buryatia by Russia in the 17th and 18th centuries a genocide.
The authors state that non-Russian peoples should achieve secession from Russia. They call on Japan to help them to “throw off the yoke” of Russia and claim to have formed the Buryat Independence Committee, an activist Khanhalaeva claims was part of the organisation.