COI Library — UK asylum by CIS country
Country of Origin Information for UK asylum cases from 8 post-Soviet countries. Each page lists authoritative sources ranked by strength in UK Tribunals, recent events, evidence categories, and related SNL pages.
CIS countries
Russia
Severe repression post-February 2022. Anti-war speech criminalised (Russian Criminal Code Art. 207.3 "fakes about the army"), mass mobilisation, LGBT movement d…
Belarus
Since 2020 — largest wave of repression since Soviet era. UN Group of Independent Experts (February 2025) found "reasonable grounds to believe" crimes against h…
Ukraine
Active international armed conflict since February 2022. **Martial law extended every 90 days.** Civilian casualties up 31% in 2025 (2,514 killed, 12,142 injure…
Kazakhstan
January 2022 ("Bloody January / Qandyly Qantar") — mass protests and crackdown. Tightening control of dissent, pressure on civil society. December 2025 — "LGBT …
Kyrgyzstan
Democratic backsliding since 2021. **Freedom House Nations in Transit 2024: 11/100 — "Consolidated Authoritarian Regime"** (downgraded from hybrid). "Political …
Tajikistan
Emomali Rahmon authoritarian regime since 1992. Harsh suppression of political opposition (IRPT banned in 2015 as "terrorist"). Persecution of religious minorit…
Uzbekistan
Mirziyoyev reforms post-2016 — partial liberalisation, but repression continues. Karakalpakstan events 2022 — harsh crackdown. Same-sex relations criminalised (…
Turkmenistan
One of the world's most closed states — alongside DPRK and Eritrea. **Freedom House 2025: 1/100, RSF 175/180**. Total state control of all spheres. **Criminal C…
What is COI
Country of Origin Information (COI) is objective evidence on the human rights situation in your country. The UK Home Office and Tribunals assess asylum cases through two tests:
- 1. CredibilityIs the claimant's story believable? Facts, dates, details compared against COI.
- 2. Risk on returnIf returned, is persecution real? COI decides this directly.
Winning asylum / appeal without COI is nearly impossible. Tribunals routinely refuse for "insufficient justification of risk on return".
Source hierarchy
UK Tribunals weigh sources by strength. Apply in this order:
- CPIN (Country Policy and Information Notes) — official Home Office document. Strongest — cited by Tribunals without question. gov.uk CPIN collection
- UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines + UNHCR Refworld — UN Refugee Agency recommendations. Very strong source.
- HRW World Report — annual Human Rights Watch survey. Very strong.
- Amnesty International annual report — also strong.
- Freedom House Freedom in the World — for general regime context.
- Country-specific NGOs — OVD-Info, Viasna, Forum 18, ECOM, Memorial (archive), IPHR etc. Very useful for specifics (LGBTQ, religion, specific cases).
- Tribunal precedent cases — AA (Uganda), HJ (Iran), Januzi etc. Case-law, not COI, but related.
Tip: always check the source date. Tribunals prefer recent. If CPIN is 2020 and HRW World Report is 2026 — include both, but the recent one first.
Using COI at interview
- Before screening interviewRead your country page in this library. Know 2-3 key dates and events from the recent section.
- Before substantive interviewPrint / save 3-5 key sources. Interviewers may ask "how do you know Y happens in country X" — name CPIN or HRW.
- Give your lawyer all sources before submissionThe solicitor / IAA L2 includes COI in the skeleton argument and bundle of evidence. Your job is to provide materials and context on your specific situation.
- After refusal — for appealAppeal at First-tier Tribunal without COI is mostly losing. Do a SAR request + new recent sources = improve your odds.
Cross-country trends 2024-2026
Kimi deep research, 365+ findingsAnalytical research across 8 CIS countries identified 7 trends that are important for understanding asylum cases from the region.
1. CO Convergence Crisis
All 8 countries SIMULTANEOUSLY restrict conscientious objection in 2024-2025 — first time in post-Soviet era. Turkmenistan resumed CO prosecutions (December 2024), Russia — 10,308 criminal cases in 2024, Ukraine — Supreme Court denied wartime CO October 2025, Belarus — death penalty for desertion.
2. Transnational Repression
5 countries (KZ, TJ, TM, RU, BY) systematically target exiles via assassination, extradition, disappearances, in-absentia convictions. Sadykov assassination in Kyiv, Germany deported a Tajik activist, Turkmen activists disappeared in Turkey — physical distance no longer guarantees safety.
3. Foreign Agent Law Cascade
Russia's "foreign agents" playbook now adopted in Kyrgyzstan (April 2024). October 2025 — first ever Kyrgyz media "extremist" designation (Kloop, Temirov Live). KZ and UZ may follow.
4. Forced Labour as political punishment
UN Special Rapporteur (October 2025) documented forced labour for political prisoners in Belarus. Beyond cotton (TM, UZ), labour exploitation is now a discrete form of political repression.
5. Health System Collapse
All 8 countries show health system failures disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups: RU — punitive psychiatry (+500%), Ukraine — 74% mental-health gap, Turkmenistan — medicine "unaffordable for the majority", Kyrgyzstan — 153 psychiatrists for 6.6 million.
6. Belarus Exception
Belarus stands apart: UN Group of Independent Experts (February 2025) established crimes against humanity. 8,519 criminal prosecutions since 2020. ~190 political prisoners forcibly expelled (with bags over heads) — this may qualify as deportation crime against humanity. No other CIS country subject to this level of UN determination.
7. Press Freedom = leading indicator
Press freedom deterioration precedes broader rights restrictions by 6-18 months. Monitoring press-freedom indicators predicts emerging asylum-relevant risks before other sources document them.
What's not in this library
- Countries outside CIS-8. Iran, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Syria, Sudan etc — not covered. If you're from there — main source is Home Office CPIN + UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines directly.
- Individual case law. We don't analyse specific case-law (AA, HJ (Iran) etc) — that's your lawyer's job.
- Legal analysis. COI is facts, not "how to file the case". Filing = IAA L2/L3 or SRA solicitor.
- Daily updates. Recent-events sections are updated monthly. For critical cases verify the primary source directly.
If you're a lawyer / NGO and want to propose expansion / corrections — message us on Telegram.
Important: StartNewLife UK is a referral directory, not an immigration advice service within the meaning of the UK Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, s.84. This page is general information and navigation, not individual legal advice. All lawyers in the database are regulated by the SRA, IAA or BSB — verify their status on the public registers before instructing. For individual advice on your case, contact an SRA solicitor or IAA adviser directly.