A group of 65 Russian dissidents who transferred to Spain last year say they have actually been left in legal limbo after Spanish authorities apparently stopped working to follow through on pledges of providing residency status, El Pais reported Monday.The exiled activists, who consisted of previous regional coordinators for Alexei Navalnys Anti-Corruption Foundation, got tourist visas on humanitarian grounds to take a trip to Spain last summertime after diplomatic outreach from Madrid.
They declare Spanish officials assured them of a fast-track residency procedure, but those efforts stalled after key federal government contacts stopped responding.The dissidents, many of whom formerly sought haven in Georgia, say they were motivated to relocate to Spain due to deteriorating security conditions in the South Caucasus country, where authorities have progressively targeted both domestic dissidents and banished Kremlin critics.Free Russia Foundation, a pro-democracy advocacy group headquartered in the U.S., coordinated with Spanish authorities to assist transfer the activists from Georgia.Some of the activists have considering that had their humanitarian home applications rejected.
Spanish officials ruled they did not face a tested danger if they returned to Russiadespite Moscows magnified crackdown on opposition voices and some of the people dealing with criminal charges in Russia over their anti-war views.According to El Pais, of the 14 activists who had residency applications processed, eight have actually currently gotten rejections.Without that promise, we would never have come to Spain, Egor Kuroptev, who leads the South Caucasus workplace of the Free Russia Foundation, told El Pais.The result is that the resettled group has spent more than six months in an irregular scenario in Spain.Kuroptev informed The Moscow Times in the future Monday that his company had actually gotten composed confirmation from the Spanish Foreign Ministry about supplying fast-track residency.
He said he shared those files with El Pais and El Mundo, however decreased to reveal them to The Moscow Times, citing ethical concerns.We offered an interview just to draw in the attention of the federal government ...
and we are awaiting their assistance, which was very reliable earlier, Kuroptev said.Sources in Spains Foreign Ministry denied ever ensuring residency and firmly insisted the dissidents can look for asylum, according to El Pais.
The Moscow Times has sent an ask for remark to the ministry.A Tbilisi-based activist at first involved in the relocation plan said Free Russia Foundation created a list in August 2022 for those wanting to relocate to Spain with their help, but the process ended up being postponed and ultimately appeared to have stalled.However, eventually, they [Free Russia Foundation] reached some sort of arrangement [with the Spanish Foreign Ministry] and began compiling the very first list, which just included prominent figures media-savvy activists, the activist informed The Moscow Times, asking to remain anonymous.They were initially provided traveler visas and pertained to Spain, however for some reason, the Spanish authorities didnt meet the agreements that Free Russia Foundation had actually informed the activists about, and now theyre stuck to ended Schengen tourist visas, the activist said.Some amongst the group of Russian exiles in Spain argue that seeking asylum now after being recommended to pursue a various path could leave them not able to work or take a trip for several years while their cases are processed in an overloaded system.Mack Tubridy contributed reporting.