Elena Maglevannaya granted asylum
Finnish authorities have granted asylum to the Russian journalist and human rights defender, Elena Maglevannaya. She fled from Russia in May 2009 after receiving threats for her press reports about the abuse and torture of Chechens in Russian prisons. In a trial that was seen as heavily tilted in favour of the prosecution, Elena was convicted of libel because of her articles. While waiting for a decision on her asylum application in Finland, she continued her investigations into prison conditions in Russia. In July 2010, speaking in an interview with YLE News, Elena expressed confidence in the European justice system: "Here in Finland, there is rule of law. I have often been in a situation where law has no meaning or it does not exist at all," she said. Earlier, several leading human rights defenders started a petition to the Finnish immigration authorities on Elena's behalf. Many Russian journalists and human rights defenders who have highlighted human rights abuses in the North Caucasus have either been killed or imprisoned. Oksana Chelysheva, board member of the Russian-Chechen Friendship Society, noted that the Finnish Immigration Service, once again, showed its impartiality in its conclusion that Elena's asylum application was warranted and that she was indeed in need of international protection. Elena found a lot of support in Finland, and today's decision gives joy to everyone, Oksana wrote. She recalled that Elena started her human rights work alone in Volgograd. Thanks to her efforts, the case of Zubair Zubairayev received international attention. Read on for an interview with Elena...
