Dr Dmitry Volkov

Russia Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases

Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.

We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.

Occupation

• Country Witness Expert on Russia and Belarus
• Human Rights Specialist
• Legal Researcher and Academic Consultant
• Independent Journalist and Investigative Reporter on Human Rights

Expertise

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:

Russia: The Russian state has intensified repression to unprecedented levels since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with anti-war protesters, independent journalists, political opposition members, and human rights defenders subjected to criminal prosecution under treason, extremism, and military discreditation statutes carrying sentences of up to 25 years, while organizations labelled as undesirable or extremist — including anti-corruption and civil liberties groups — have been forcibly shut down and their members prosecuted. Ethnic minorities in the North Caucasus, particularly Chechens perceived as disloyal to the Kadyrov regime, face extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and collective punishment of family members, while indigenous peoples in Siberia and the Far North face displacement due to resource extraction and erosion of land rights. Women in Chechnya face forced marriage, honour-based violence, and compulsory adherence to restrictive dress and behaviour codes, and domestic violence across Russia has been effectively decriminalized through legislation downgrading first offences to administrative penalties. LGBT individuals face a comprehensive legal and societal persecution framework, including the expansion of so-called gay propaganda laws to ban all positive or neutral mention of LGBT identity, vigilante violence targeting LGBT persons and those perceived as such, and organized persecution of gay men in Chechnya including detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing. Religious minorities, including Jehovah's Witnesses — whose organization has been banned as extremist — Hizb ut-Tahrir members, and independent Muslim communities face imprisonment, property confiscation, and harassment.

Belarus: The Belarusian regime has conducted a sustained campaign of repression since the disputed 2020 presidential election, with thousands of political prisoners held in harsh conditions, subjected to torture and ill-treatment, and denied access to legal counsel, while exiled opposition members and journalists face extraterritorial repression including forced diversion of aircraft and intimidation of family members remaining in Belarus. Independent media, human rights organisations, and civil society groups have been liquidated, and any expression of opposition — including displaying banned symbols, commenting on social media, or subscribing to independent media channels — results in criminal prosecution. Ethnic Polish and Lithuanian minorities face pressure and accusations of extremism, and Roma communities experience systemic discrimination. Women political prisoners face gender-specific forms of ill-treatment and intimidation, and domestic violence is inadequately addressed by law and social services. LGBT individuals face severe societal hostility, and the government has used homophobic rhetoric to discredit the opposition movement, while independent religious communities that supported the protest movement face retaliation.

Experience

• Served as an expert witness in over 90 asylum proceedings before UK immigration tribunals, the Royal Courts of Justice, and US immigration courts, covering political persecution, religious freedom, and LGBT claims from Russia and Belarus.
• Provided expert evidence to the Upper Tribunal and the Board of Immigration Appeals on the treatment of anti-war protesters, political prisoners, Chechen asylum seekers, and LGBT individuals fleeing persecution in Russia and Belarus.
• Authored country condition reports on the operation of Russia's criminal justice system, prison conditions, and the treatment of political dissidents and minorities for legal aid solicitors, barristers, and international protection organisations.
• Held positions as Researcher and Lecturer at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), Moscow and St Petersburg State University, with extensive research on Russian governance, civil liberties, and the political economy of repression.
• Collaborated with international human rights monitoring organisations and exile-based civil society groups to document political imprisonment, torture, and the systematic dismantling of independent institutions in Russia and Belarus. Expert member of The Human Rights Experts.

Full professional experience is available in the CV. Please email us to receive the detailed expert CV.

Publications

Available upon request and detailed in the expert CV.

Languages

• Russian (Native)
• English (Fluent)
• Belarusian (Professional proficiency)
• German (Conversational)

Religious Groups Expertise

All religious groups

Contact Email

info@thehuman-rights.com