How Russian dissidents are being punished by both Russia and Europe
While Moscow is stripping citizenship rights, European states are curbing access to legal status for Russian emigres.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law new legislation that targets Russians living abroad who oppose his regime. The law restricts the provision of consular services to Russian citizens who have been sentenced in absentia in political cases.
This means that those convicted of several offences – including violating the “foreign agent law” or “discrediting” the Russian army – will not be able to renew their Russian passports and receive other essential consular services. This could affect thousands of Russian citizens. Individuals and organisations labelled “foreign agents” are already more than 1,600 and the number continues to grow.
