Russian dissident art group members detained in Prague
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 September 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian dissident art group members detained in Prague, 19 September 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58189dc74.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 19, 2016
Members of a Russian dissident art collective have been detained in Prague.
A founding member of the group Voina (War), Oleg Vorotnikov, his wife and fellow activist, Natalya Sokol, and their daughter were detained on September 18.
Sokol, who along with her daughter was released on September 19, told RFE/RL that her husband remained in custody and could face extradition to Russia.
There was no immediate comment from Czech authorities.
The couple fled Russia in 2011 for Europe after Russian authorities launched investigations against them, defining one of their latest public actions as hooliganism. Both are wanted in Russia.
They have lived in several European countries since then but failed to get political asylum in any of them.
Voina became famous across Russia and beyond for stunts like painting a giant phallus on a drawbridge facing the St. Petersburg headquarters of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and overturning police cars.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
