Country Expert Database: New Findings from 120+ Countries

This Week 11 country expert database update refreshes findings across the 120+ country coverage this practitioner network maintains — with particular focus on developments this reporting week in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and East Africa. It complements the Q1-Q2 2026 database review published earlier (see Q1-Q2 2026 database) with the weekly incremental update pattern used for the Expert Witness Knowledge Hub.[1]

The database serves representatives building cases in Q3 2026, experts calibrating their reports, and researchers understanding practical operation of asylum systems. Findings are aggregated across UK, US, Canadian, and EU jurisdictions.

Russia — Weekly Update

Russia continues to be one of the largest sources of asylum claims in 2026. Weekly developments include the following.[2]

Article 207.3 prosecutions — OVD-Info tracks continuing escalation. "Extremist LGBT movement" cases — arrests continuing. Second mobilisation preparation — reports of planning through 2026. Journalist prosecutions — "foreign agent" designations escalating. Krasnodar Baptist Church cases — Jehovah's Witnesses expanding. Return of Navalny associates targeted.

Belarus — Weekly Update

Political prisoner count — Viasna documented 1,491 as of latest count. Tikhanovsky release circumstances — significant precedent for prisoner exchange dynamics. New protest arrests — after 2024 mock elections. Trade union crackdown continues. Extraterritorial reach — diaspora targeting.

Tajikistan — Weekly Update

Pamiri community — continuing arrests documented. Ismaili religious restrictions. GBAO travel restrictions. Dushanbe political opposition. Journalist targeting — Radio Ozodi reporting restrictions.

Eritrea — Weekly Update

National service duration continues indefinite. Sawa military centre reports. Religious persecution — Pentecostal arrests. Diaspora surveillance. Returnee treatment — deserter penalties confirmed.

Sudan — Weekly Update

Sudan's civil war continues to produce unprecedented displacement. Weekly developments include the following.[3]

~13.7 million displaced — internal + external. El Fasher siege continuing. Famine declared in multiple regions. Sexual violence weaponised — documented across regions. Sudanese Armed Forces vs RSF conflict ongoing. Ethnic targeting continues — Masalit, Zaghawa.

Ethiopia — Weekly Update

Amhara conflict continues — Fano militia operations. Oromia situation — OLA continues. Tigray implementation issues. Journalist prosecutions. Refugee returns from Sudan complicating dynamics.

Somalia — Weekly Update

Al-Shabaab operations continue in multiple regions. El Adde attacks and similar incidents. Clan-based violence. Somaliland conflict aftermath. Puntland ISIS branch.

Other Country Updates

Cross-Country Patterns Week 11

Facial recognition surveillance expanding — Iran, China, Russia. Anti-war prosecutions consolidating — Russia particularly. Political prisoner numbers stable-to-rising — Belarus, Russia, Egypt, Cuba. Ethnic conflict continuing — Sudan, Ethiopia regions. Religious minority targeting — Iran, Pakistan, Russia. Diaspora surveillance intensifying — Iran, Russia, China, Eritrea.

New This Week

Tikhanovsky release — implications for Belarus prisoner exchange dynamics. Sudan famine declarations — additional protection ground. China Uyghur returnee tracking — Xinjiang-based enforcement. Myanmar military service expansion — new refusal-based claims.

Week 11 database confirms that most Q1-Q2 2026 patterns continue and intensify. The proliferation of political prisoner situations, the intensification of surveillance, and the continuation of ethnic conflict produce sustained protection needs. Weekly updates matter — country conditions are moving faster than annual reports capture.
Country Expert Database Week 11 Update

Conclusion

This Week 11 country expert database update refreshes findings across 120+ countries. Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia primary focus this week. Cross-country patterns — surveillance expansion, anti-war prosecutions, ethnic conflict, religious targeting, diaspora surveillance. Weekly updates support case preparation. See our companion Week 11 insights hub, Week 11 reports, and Q1-Q2 2026 database.