Vladislav Krasnov, right, helped organize protests in Moscow in support of Alexey Navalny.Supplied
A Russian dissident and anti-war activist who was detained in the United States has been spared imminent deportation, his lawyer says.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had been holding Vladislav Krasnov at the Adelanto detention complex in California ever since he checked in at an ICE office in downtown Los Angeles. He had previously been denied asylum and was required to check in with officials.
Wallie Mason, Mr. Krasnov’s lawyer, told The Globe and Mail that her client’s flight was about 90 minutes from departing Monday when the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) granted an emergency stay. She said Mr. Krasnov was shackled and waiting in a room with other men about to be taken on the plane. “It was an extremely close call.”
Mr. Krasnov, 27, took part in massive protests against Mr. Putin in 2018 and has publicly criticized the Russian government and its war in Ukraine. He previously told The Globe that if he were sent back to Russia he would be imprisoned for 20 years.
Ms. Mason has filed a motion to reopen his asylum case, and if it is denied, Mr. Krasnov will still be deported. If the motion is granted, they will have a chance to present his case again.
Russian dissident held by ICE in U.S. hopes Canada can help him avoid deportation
She said that if the Board of Immigration Appeals grants the motion, they have a good chance of winning because it would take into consideration new evidence. The previous hearing did not consider that the European Court of Human Rights issued a decision finding that his detention in Russia was unlawful and politically motivated.
Dmitry Valuev, co-founder of the Russian America for Democracy in Russia organization, said Tuesday that he was “extremely grateful for this decision and relieved.”
“It gives Vlad the opportunity to continue pursuing his liberty and safety in the United States. A few days before the scheduled deportation, Vlad was transferred to Alexandria, La., for a deportation flight that departed yesterday. The BIA’s decision was issued only a few hours before the flight was scheduled to take off,” he said in a WhatsApp message.
Earlier this year, he said, the BIA denied an emergency stay for another Russian anti-war activist who has a criminal case pending against him in Russia.
“Yesterday, he was deported on the same flight that Vlad had been scheduled to be on.”