Two Russian brides got hitched in Argentina's capital city and then requested political asylum in the country, citing persecution back home, according to Argentina's LGBT Federation.
Marina Mironova and Oksana Timofeyeva said they chose Argentina because they wanted to live "freely and safely." They believe the Latin American country can guarantee them such a life.
Verdu Castrosin, the vice president of FALGBT, said on Tuesday that the pair first consulted the organization in late 2012, shortly after the passage of Russia's law prohibiting the promotion of a nontraditional sexual orientation among minors.
Castrosin lamented the fact that Russia's laws "are becoming more extreme" regarding sexual minorities, Argentinian news portal Lavanguardia.com reported.
The two women said they chose to emigrate because they had been subjected to harassment for their sexual orientation, Castrosin said, adding that the discrimination grew more intense following the passage of the controversial law in 2012.
Neither of the women speak Spanish or English and they still have a 16-year-old son back home. It remained unclear whether he would seek asylum as well.
Mironova and Timofeyeva are the first Russian lesbian couple to be married in the Latin American country.
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