– The person concerned has been arrested under the Immigration Act, and it is being assessed whether he should be produced for detention, says acting head of the legal section in the Police’s immigration unit, Jon Andreas Johansen, to NRK.
– Beyond that, we have no comments, says Johansen.
Arrested Sunday
Medvedev’s Norwegian defender, lawyer Brynjulf Risnes, says that his client was arrested on Sunday evening, but that there is no drama in this.
– The background is disagreement about the security measures. Significant security measures have been introduced. Medvedev has problems adapting to it, says Risnes to NRK.
According to NRK, Medvedev has been sent to the police immigration center at Trandum after having been at a secret address in the Oslo area for a period.
Risnes says he hopes there will be no evidence of detention, and that the client is not suspected of any offense that would warrant it.
– I think it is in the interest of all parties to find a solution that both parties can be satisfied with, so that they can work together better, he says.
Claims he should be deported from Norway
Medvedev was with the Russian mercenary group Wagner for several months in 2022 before he escaped, according to the Russian human rights organization Gulagu.net.
The human rights group said on Monday that they had spoken to Medvedev by phone, and that he had been told that he would be deported from Norway, writes Reuters.
The group says that Medvedev will be brutally killed if he is returned to Russia.
Risnes says The online newspaper that he has no knowledge that Medvedev is to be deported.
– I have no knowledge of it. It is completely out of the question, it is unthinkable that he would be deported somewhere, says Risnes.
Also opposite VG Risnes rejects the claim of deportation.
– Deportation has not been an issue now, and it is naturally completely unthinkable. It is unthinkable because he has applied for asylum, and there are good reasons to believe that there is something he can do, he says.
Friction between Medvedev and the police
Medvedev applied for asylum in Norway after illegally crossing the border from Russia on the night of Friday 13 January. He was then arrested by a border patrol from the Norwegian Defense Forces and the police in Pasvikdalen.
On Saturday, Kripos started questioning Medvedev about his service in the Wagner group, Risnes confirmed to the opposite The daily newspaper. According to Risnes, Medvedev was then willing to share information.
Risnes told VG on Monday that there is now friction between the police and his client.
– He finds it difficult to come to terms with the major security measures that have been put in place, and this creates friction with the police. You have to find a solution that allows you to continue the work with interviews and asylum applications, says Risnes.
