RU

Arshak Makichyan is a climate activist from Moscow, a Russian citizen who opposes the war in Ukraine. In May 2022, the Russian government declared that they wanted to strip Arshak of his only citizenship.

In Russia, Arshak started an activist movement, Fridays For Future, and for several years went to demonstrations related to the problems of the climate crisis. After the outbreak of the war, Arshak participated in anti-war rallies, then temporarily left Russia, continuing to protest the war and the climate crisis alongside German and Ukrainian activists. On May 1, he published a post on his social networks stating his intention to return, then a few days after this he received notification of legal proceedings to deprive him of his citizenship. Obviously, the Russian authorities want to prevent Arshak returning to Russia by any means and continuing his activism.

Arshak is 28, and has lived in Russia for 27 of those years. When he was one year old, his family moved to Russia with him, fleeing the war in Armenia. For long periods of time he did not leave the country, and he has no second citizenship. The formal reason for the court to deprive Arshak of his citizenship now is that he allegedly provided false information to state agencies when he applied for citizenship in 2004. However, after examining the documents, qualified lawyers and human rights activists argue that this claim is unfounded and far-fetched, and the case is politically motivated. 

If Arshak is deprived of citizenship in Russia, the same fate may await all Russians from first-generation migrant families who disagree with the authorities. This is an act of unprecedented nationalism and a violation of all international norms. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that no one may be arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship or the right to change their citizenship.

This is why we appeal to international institutions and communities and demand that Arshak not be deprived of his citizenship.

This case is not just about Arshak, but about millions of Russian citizens who can also lose their citizenship and all their property in Russia in the same way.