Antti Rautiainen denied Russian visa request

June 23, 2012 Avtonom

On Thursday, the 14th of June anarchist and member of the Moscow - Autonomous Action, Antti Rautiainen, was denied his Russian visa request. The refusal was not exaplained.

Rautiainen had a Russian temporary residence permit, but it was annulled at the end of March. According to authorities, he had made "calls to violently overthrow constitutional order or Russian Federation." He was given 15 days to leave the Russian Federation.

In Helsinki, Rautiainen applied for a tourist visa for the month of August through a tourist agency. However, this visa request was denied. No explanations were given, but one may assume, that the reasons are political - that is, Rautiainen's anarchist activity in the ranks of Autonomous Action.

Deportation means a five year ban on entering the Russian Federation. Rautiainen, however, was not deported, and there are no legal barriers against admitting him etrance to the Russian Federation. So one may assume, that he is either blacklisted by Russian secret services, or embassy denied him a visa on an individual basis. However, Rautiainen does not expect to be able to enter the Russian Federation anytime soon.

Rautiainen promises to continue attempts to overthrow the constitutional order of Russian Federation, and any other state, outside Russia.

Back articles on the issue:  http://avtonom.org/en/people/antti-rautiainen