A husband and wife pair of opposition activists suspected of attacking riot police at an opposition rally in May have fled to Ukraine and are seeking political asylum, Interfax reported Monday.
Other Russia activist Alexei Devyatkin and journalist Jenny Curpen are afraid of being arrested in an ongoing police investigation into violence at the "March of Millions," even though they are innocent, an Other Russia spokesperson told Interfax.
The two have repeatedly been summoned for questioning, though they weren't at Bolotnaya Ploshchad during the May 6 rally when clashes broke out between demonstrators and riot police, the spokesperson said.
Devyatkin and Curpen are afraid of sharing the fate of Alexander Kamensky, an Other Russia activist who was detained at Ploshchad Revolyutsii the day of the rally and is currently facing criminal charges, Curpen said, according to Dmitry Kolbasin of Agora, an NGO that provides legal advice.
Ploshchad Revolyutsii is about a 20-minute walk from Bolotnaya. Devyatkin and Curpen were detained that day on Tverskaya Ulitsa, which is comparably far from the rally site.
"We will go through the entire asylum procedure. That way, we'll be able to apply for asylum in another country — Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, the United States — should we fail in Ukraine," Curpen said via Kolbasin, adding that Ukraine rarely grants political asylum.
The pair is currently receiving assistance from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which is affiliated with the UN Refugee Agency.
They are not the first would-be political refugees to emerge from the May 6 melee and subsequent police crackdown. Solidarity's Anastasia Rybachenko fled the country — she says she plans to return — and Other Russia's Alexander Dolmatov has applied for asylum in the Netherlands.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
