On October 22, Sofia City Court issued its refusal to extradite Russian dissident Nikolay Koblyakov, who was arrested on an Interpol arrest warrant on July 29 at Sofia airport. The Russian authorities wanted his extraditon to Russia in connection with financial fraud proceedings against him. Mr. Koblyakov is a co-founder of the "Free Russia" organization, which criticized the regime of Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Koblyakov has asked the Bulgarian president for political asylum. The regime in Russia uses the courts to suppress opposition and to silence civil society, Sofia City Court commented.