Russian democracy activist Maria Kartasheva was convicted in absentia by a Moscow court and had to prove to Canadian authorities that criticizing the authorities in her country of origin is not a crime. After fearing she would be deported to a Russian prison, she finally obtained the precious sesame on Tuesday evening.
Maria Kartasheva came from Russia in 2019 and has experienced a nightmare in Canada in recent months. The 30-year-old Russian woman experienced the unpleasant surprise of having her immigration application rejected during the naturalization ceremony. As a pro-democracy activist, she could have even been expelled from the country because she was convicted in absentia by a Russian court of “disinformation” related to the conflict in Ukraine. The young woman, a Kremlin critic, was prosecuted for two articles written in Ottawa. According to the Criminal Code of Canada, immigration regulations ensure that the application of a citizenship applicant accused of a crime in another country may be rejected.
The media furor caused by this extremely rare case forced Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller, to intervene. “The eligibility requirements are intended to deny criminals access to Canadian citizenship and not to suppress or punish legitimate political actions.” Dissidents, assures the elected official. Ms. Kartasheva will not be deported and has been invited to become a Canadian citizen.”
At the same time, during lunch (5:00 p.m. GMT), the young woman received the good news: an email inviting her to perform her ceremony a few hours later (8:00 p.m. GMT). “I have the impression that even after the ceremony I won't believe that it happened,” she assured the Canadian broadcaster CBC. For a long time I had the impression that no one was interested in this matter.” She hopes that her mishap will show “that Canada will support the Russians in Canada who oppose the war and that we can sleep peacefully.”
Texts on the Boutcha massacre
The problems for the young woman began at the end of 2022. She learned through her family that the Russian authorities had accused her of a “war crime” because she had “deliberately spread false information” about the troops of his country. Her blog, on which she regularly publishes articles on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, comes into question.
One of the two March 2022 publications in question about the Boutcha massacre reads: “Tell me that before the Russian troops arrived, all of these people were alive and riding their own bikes.” I don't know why It was so deeply embedded in my memory that there were bicycles everywhere and the dead people riding them were obviously going somewhere.
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False Information Act
The young woman also took part in other actions, demonstrating in front of the Russian embassy in Ottawa or founding a group called the Russian Canadian Democratic Alliance.
Russia's fake news law, publicized for its impact on the country's politicians or journalists, is also being used against the country's citizens who criticize the Kremlin's actions. Russian judge Elena Lenskaya then ordered the arrest of Maria Kartasheva in absentia. Last November, the Basnmany District Court in Moscow sentenced her to eight years in prison based on posts published on her blog.
Online ceremony fiasco
When she learned in April 2023 that an arrest warrant had been issued against her, the young woman applied for naturalization in Canada and informed the immigration authority (IRCC: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) of the allegations against him. In May, she received an invitation to her naturalization ceremony.
Maria Kartasheva appears with her husband at the ceremony on June 7th. Before taking the oath, an officer asks a standard question about whether a person has been criminally charged. She raises her hand, then an official asks her to leave the ceremony while her husband continues the process and receives Canadian citizenship. The meeting ends. She was unable to swear allegiance to the crown.
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“I felt betrayed because I hoped to be safe here in Canada,” the young woman said in comments broadcast by Radio Canada on Jan. 5. My heart was broken. But I also tried to stay positive because it was still my husband's ceremony and I didn't want to ruin his day. I know Canada doesn't support the war. I know that they believe that Russia is silencing war opponents. So I thought it was such an obvious situation that it wouldn't be a problem.
“That makes no sense !”
How can this turnaround be explained? Section 372(1) of the Canadian Criminal Code states that anyone who “commits an offense with intent to harm or alarm any person transmits or causes to be transmitted by letter or other means of telecommunication information of which he or she knows.” “that they are false” risks up to two years in prison. The ministry confirmed in December that his conviction in Russia corresponded to this scenario. “It’s a normal country,” she complained of Canada. You would think that no one would consider me a criminal because I was against the war, but ultimately that seems to be the case. That makes no sense !”
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Avoided deportation to Russia
The young woman, who works in the technology sector in Ottawa, was threatened with deportation to Russia. “I know the chances are slim, but so much has gone wrong,” she feared. How could I not be afraid of deportation?”
However, Canada has been a key ally of Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022. The Canadian government welcomed President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of September and promised him financial support. He also imposed sanctions on Russian figures, particularly the judge responsible for the arrest of Maria Kartasheva, Elena Lenskaya.