My name is Ira Putilova. I'm a documentary director and editor based in London, and right now I'm stranded in Armenia because of a database entry that is a direct consequence of political persecution in Russia. The same persecution I fled in 2013, when I was granted political asylum in the United Kingdom.

On May 29th, I crossed from Georgia into Armenia for a short holiday. At the border, I was stopped, flagged as "wanted" in Russia. I was detained overnight. When released six hours later, I was told the only way I can leave Armenia is to return to Russia. That is not an option for a political refugee.

Having found an Armenian solicitor who has taken my case to the Prosecutor General's Office, having contacted the British Embassy and reached out to my MP, I am still being denied the right to leave.

I was planning to return to London by the end of this week. I have professional and personal commitments there that I cannot attend to from here, and being kept in Yerevan any longer is causing me serious harm, professionally and personally. Among those commitments is my participation as a filmmaker in Sheffield Doc Fest MeetMarket on June 11th-12th and Docs Ireland Marketplace on June 19th-20th, both of which are critical for my project 'Shades of Snow' that I am presenting there.

Armenia has itself experienced what it means to have political persecution weaponized across borders. We ask it not to become an instrument of that same system.

I ask the Prosecutor General's Office to immediately lift the ban preventing me, a UK citizen and political refugee (legal name: Irina Putilova), from leaving Armenia and guarantee my safe passage back to Georgia, so I can take my planned flight to the United Kingdom on June 7th.

We, the signatories, urge the Armenian authorities to uphold the rule of law and act without delay. Please sign and share. Ira needs to get back to the United Kingdom.