ArmInfo.Armenia granted refugee status to Russian radical opposition political activist Vitali Shishkin, who is being persecuted in Russia because of political views. The activist wrote about this on his Facebook page, while expressing gratitude to the Armenian state for this decision.
The RA Migration Service refused to comment on this information, stating that the agency is not authorized to confirm or deny this news, as it violates the Law <On Personal Data>. "Refugee status is granted as state protection, and our service is obliged to keep secret the personal data of those people who are granted refugee status," said Nelly Davtyan, spokeswoman for the migration service, adding that refugee status is issued to a Russian citizen for the first time. She emphasized that Armenia still has not granted anyone political asylum: "We have a law on granting political asylum, but it has never been applied, there was no reason>.
It should be noted that Shishkin has been in Armenia since February of this year.
On October 30, the Human Rights Center Memorial, the Union of Solidarity recognized Vitali Shishkin as a political prisoner with Political Prisoners, and Amnesty International. It was Memorial that in February 2019 applied to the migration service of Armenia with a request for a refugee status policy.
Vitali Shishkin is the head of the political group Right for European Development, the director of the The Olden Times ("Byloe" Ed. note) publishing house, the president of the International Charity Fund for Assistance to Children of Political Prisoners, the initiator and creator of the international public committee No to Lawlessness, Torture, and Slavery, and a writer.
Judging by the media report, Shishkin came to the attention of law enforcement in 2011. A criminal case was instituted against him under part 4 of Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Then he received 4 years probation and a fine of 5.8 million rubles. He and some human rights organizations consider the instituted criminal case "politically motivated".
To note,in 2011 Vitali Shishkin participated in protest rallies against Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan, as well as against the rule of Erdogan in Turkey.