The General and Education Committee of Iceland’s Parliament has suggested that Mariia Alekhina and Lucy Shtein, members of the renowned Russian art and dissident group Pussy Riot, be granted Icelandic citizenship. The committee has proposed citizenship for five Russians, including Alekhina and Shtein.
Alekhina, aged 35, arrived in Iceland last year after escaping from Russia under false pretences. Reports suggest that Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson convinced an unnamed European country to provide Alekhina with a passport that allowed her to travel directly to Lithuania from Belarus.
Similarly, Shtein, aged 26, made a daring escape from house arrest in Moscow last year by disguising herself as a food courier. She later revealed her story to The Guardian, a British newspaper.
Pussy Riot gained worldwide attention in 2012 when its members staged a performance at Christ Church in Moscow, disrupting a mass. Alekhina and two other group members were arrested and later convicted of “atrocities based on religious hatred.”
In recent years, Russian President Vladimir Putin has increased his crackdown on dissent in Russia, prompting Alekhina to flee the country. In an interview with The New York Times last year, she stated that the time had come to leave Russia.
Granting citizenship to Alekhina, Shtein, and other Russian dissidents would send a strong message of support for human rights and free speech. Iceland could offer a safe haven for those persecuted for their beliefs.
The Icelandic Parliament is yet to vote on the proposal.