Former local politician Pavel Chuprunov from St. Petersburg is upset. He cannot understand how the Swedish Migration Agency came to the conclusion that the Russian judiciary could help him with the persecution he was subjected to by the police department for extremism. At the same time, he is relieved by the news that he is now receiving protection in Sweden. He is well aware of the plight of others who oppose President Putin.
– I had been taken to prison, then it had been a long legal process and imprisonment. I would probably have been beaten there, says Pavel Chuprunov.
The young people are fleeing
The 29-year-old ecologist was one of many young political activists who supported opposition leader Alexei Navalny. When Navalny was arrested and sentenced to a long prison term, the hunt for his more prominent followers began. Many of Pavel’s political friends were forced to flee abroad.
– I have about 40 friends who have left Russia. They are now found in countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey.
Unlike his friends, Pavel already had a visa to Sweden. He says that there are asylum seekers who, in order to stay in Sweden, exaggerate the threats against them in their home country. But he believes that the Swedish Migration Agency should have made the same decision as the Migration Court. His case was clear, he and his lawyer say. According to them, the Russian judiciary is an extended arm of political power.
– Russia is not a functioning rule of law, says Daniel Carnestedt at the Asylum Agency.
The critical voices have fallen silent
The political opposition in Russia has broken down. The young are fleeing abroad, the elderly who have old parents or mortgages cannot leave and are forced into silence. Pavel Chupronov says that he will now learn Swedish and get a job, at the same time he will continue with his political work.
– I dream that Navalny will be Russia’s Nelson Mandela and our country’s next president.