Russia court cancels journalist's deportation to Uzbekistan

MOSCOW – Russia's highest court has annulled an order to deport a reporter to his native Uzbekistan.

The Supreme Court has overturned the Moscow City Court's decision to send Khudoberdy Nurmatov to the Central Asian nation, which has shown little tolerance to dissent. In a ruling released Wednesday, the Supreme Court said the order to deport the journalist was unsubstantiated and sent the case back to the Moscow court.

Nurmatov fled Uzbekistan in 2008 after he was allegedly tortured and coerced into collaborating with security agencies. He has been repeatedly denied asylum in Russia.

In August, the Moscow City Court suspended an earlier ruling to deport him after the European Court of Human Rights had obliged Russia to halt the move amid fears that Nurmatov may face torture in Uzbekistan.