Senators voice support for rejected Chechen asylum seeker

Czech senators Jaromír Štětina and Karel Schwarzenberg voiced support on Thursday for Timur Borchashvili, a Chechen with a Georgian passport, who had been twice denied asylum in the Czech Republic. Senator Štetina pointed out that Mr Borchashvili was a friend of the Chechen leader Aslan Maschadov. Mr Štetina also accused the Czech intelligence service, BIS, of working with the Russian intelligence to bar Mr Borchashvili’s petition. Timur Borchashvili’s EU visa expired on February 7, and he went into hiding to avoid deportation. Meanwhile, Czech Interior Minister Martin Pecina said on Thursday that if Mr Borchashvili re-applies for asylum, his permission to stay in the Czech Republic may be extended.