Defender of small indigenous peoples of Russia asked for political asylum in the United States

Defender of the indigenous peoples of the North, Pavel Sulyandziga, asked for political asylum in the United States due to threats and persecution by the FSB. This was reported on the website of the Yabloko party.

The human rights activist noted that he decided to seek asylum because of fears for the safety of his family members. According to him, the FSB officers are trying to fabricate a criminal case against him, putting pressure on his relatives and friends. Sulyandziga said that his son, who was doing military service in the Moscow region, was transferred to the Caucasus at the request of the FSB, and a businessman he knew was forced to write a statement about fraud against Sulyandziga.

In December 2016, was also detained the brother of the human rights activist, director of the Center for Assistance to Indigenous Minorities, Rodion Sulyandziga, . He was supposed to open and lead a seminar of the informal association of experts of the indigenous peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East "Aboriginal Forum".

Pavel Sulyandziga is one of the founders of the Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia and the Far East of Russia, as well as the Batani Indigenous Peoples Development Fund, which was added to the register of “foreign agents” last year.

Now the human rights activist and his family are in the United States and are awaiting the decision of the authorities on granting political asylum.