RU / ENG

We, the undersigned, ask the Icelandic Migration Service, the Parliament and the Government of Iceland to provide any form of protection for two Russian citizens, a married couple - Anton and Victoria Garbar, and also to allow them to legally stay and work on the territory of this country.

After 7 months in Iceland, the Migration Service decided to deport Anton and Viktoria, to cut off their ties with this country, which only intensified during this time.
This decision is a sentence for Anton and Victoria at a difficult time, when they are forced to leave, first their native country, and now the place with which they are spiritually connected, which has become a second home, where there are many relatives and friends.

In March 2022, they were forced to leave Russia due to persecution for their active position against Russian aggression in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, by decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin

Due to the active expression of their anti-war position, the police in Russia began to persecute Anton Garbar on the basis of his spotlighting of war crimes of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine, as well as condemnation of these military actions. In March 2022, Anton's mother received threats from the FSB that she and Anton would be in trouble if he did not stop expressing his protest against the war. In August 2022, the police in Russia officially notified Anton of the initiation of a case against him for discrediting the Russian army - the main repressive article in Russia for which he can be jailed to 15 years, in October 2022, Anton's social networks were blocked in Russia by the decision of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation for the purposes of censorship.

Anton and Victoria were repeatedly threatened, condemned and bullied by friends, former colleagues, acquaintances and relatives, including Anton's father and cousin who showed aggression against this young family for their anti-war and anti-government position.

Anton and Victoria are entrepreneurs and had a touristic company since 2018. Over the years they have organized many trips for over 500 Russian speaking travelers from all over the world. One of their main destinations all along has been Iceland.

Arriving in Iceland in 2018, Anton and Victoria sincerely and wholeheartedly fell in love with this country, made many friends here. They even agreed with the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow to provide their clients with a simplified package of documents for applying for an Icelandic visa. They showed Iceland 165 travelers. They have many reviews from their customers with thanks.

Anton and Victoria are seeking protection in Iceland since 5 April 2022.

The Migration Service refused to consider their political case, citing the Dublin regulations, despite Anton and Victoria's evidence of special ties to Iceland.
On October 7, 2022, Anton and Victoria were refused by the Appeal Commission to consider their case in Iceland, not taking into account either the existence of a job offer, or recommendations from Icelandic citizens, or the fact that Anton and Victoria actively promoted Iceland as a tourist destination on the territory of Iceland. over the past 4 years.

On November 7, 2022, a story was released on the RUV TV channel about Anton and Victoria, where they briefly spoke about their feelings about the upcoming deportation. After the release of this episode on November 8, 2022, the Icelandic police came to them. The police officer ordered them to appear at the police station every day in order to prove that they would not hide from deportation. They were not offered the option of leaving Iceland voluntarily.

While in the status of asylum seekers, Anton and Victoria took an active part in the anti-war movement: they participated in protests and rallies, voiced condemnation of Russia's actions in Ukraine, and also helped many Russian citizens to leave the country due to Putin's announcement of partial military mobilization. In September-October, Anton and Victoria organized a volunteer project to help people leaving Russia. More than 3,000 people became recipients of information assistance, in addition, they organized a fundraiser, part of the funds from which was directed to provide humanitarian assistance in a catastrophic situation on the borders of Russia with Georgia and Kazakhstan. The total amount of funds raised was 10,000 euros. These funds were spent on food, water and medicine, for people waiting in 70-hour lines at the border checkpoints, payment for transport for refugees from Ukraine, for the work of psychologists in a project to help Ukrainian children placed on the Isabelle ferry in Tallinn, for the work of a shelter for Russian political refugees in Tbilisi, as well as to support the Golden Key relief fund, which helps anti-war and political activists inside Russia.

Now the Icelandic Migration Service demands the deportation of Anton and Victoria to Italy, despite repeated reports from human rights organizations about the improper work of the Italian authorities with refugees and violations of human rights.

In addition, Anton and Victoria, given their extensive professional experience, could be useful in Iceland as employees of the tourism industry, while in Italy their experience would be unrepresentative.

“Before coming to Iceland, we opened alfred.is, a job search site, and saw that there are many vacancies in tourism. We do not want to be a burden for taxpayers and we can work. But it turned out that after applying for asylum, it is almost impossible to get a work permit” says Anton

“We received a large number of job offers while we were here, both from Icelanders and from travel companies, and only the Migration Service became an obstacle to the realization of our desire” says Victoria

We, the undersigned, ask the Icelandic Migration Service, the Parliament and the Government of Iceland to provide any form of protection to two Russian citizens, a married couple - Anton and Victoria Garbar, and also to allow them to legally stay and work on the territory of this country.

Links to information about Anton and Victoria

The short information about political case of Anton and Victoria (google drive)

Instagram – travel project @traceoftravels
Reportage about Anton and Victoria on RUV
Reportage about Anton and Victoria in Stundin

Volunteer initiative "Попутчики.Эвакуация", founded by Anton and Victoria
Report on the collection of charitable
Report on volunteers helping on the borders of Russia with Kazakhstan and Georgia on the "Current Time" channel
Personal instagrams of Anton and Victoria