2 activists linked to Pussy Riot get asylum in Sweden

COPENHAGEN – Swedish broadcaster SVT says two activists linked to the Russian protest group Pussy Riot have successfully appealed their rejected asylum application and received shelter in Sweden.

Broadcaster SVT says Lusine Dzhanyan and Alexei Knedlyakovsky, who have two children, on Tuesday won their appeal of a 2018 ruling, where Swedish authorities said their situation didn’t justify asylum.

SVT said Dzhanyan and Knedlyakovsky sought asylum in the Scandinavian country a year earlier, claiming they had gotten death threats and experienced “politically motivated” harassment because of the group’s protests.

Dzhanyantold SVT “I am happy that my children will grow up in safety, especially considering the developments at home (in Russia).”

Swedish immigration authorities do not comment individual cases.