Russian Dissidents Plead With Canada to Accept Anti-War Activists Facing Deportation From U.S.

U.K. Imposes Sanctions on Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, Kremlin-Backed Youth Group

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A group of prominent exiled Russian opposition figures is urging Canada to offer asylum to hundreds of anti-war activists who they say face the risk of deportation from the United States to Russia, where they could be arrested and imprisoned for their political views.

In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, the widow of Aleksei Navalny, Yulia Navalnaya, and the opposition activists Vladimir Kara-Murza and Ilya Yashin asked Ottawa to grant asylum to Russians currently subject to U.S. deportation orders, specifically those whose anti-war activities are well-documented.

The plea, reported on Wednesday

Yashin told the newspaper that an estimated 1,000 Russians are currently seeking political asylum in the United States. The letter’s

At least one anti-Kremlin activist, Leonid Melekhin, was arrested in Russia on charges of justifying terrorism in social media posts after initial reports suggested U.S. immigration

Yashin said the letter to Carney reflects growing frustration among dissidents with the strict immigration policies of the Trump administration.

“I have been to the U.S. twice, knocked on different doors,” Yashin was quoted as saying

The Canadian government had not publicly responded to the letter as of Wednesday afternoon.

Kara-Murza, whom Canada granted honorary citizenship in June 2023 while he was imprisoned in Russia, plans to visit the country in October to discuss the proposal, Yashin said.

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