Kremlin blamed for Aussie visa delay for Masha Gessen

Writer Masha Gessen, who in July was sentenced, in absentia, to eight years in a Russian jail after accusing Russian forces of war crimes, has been unable to board a plane to Australia to speak at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Writer Masha Gessen. Picture: Getty Images

Writer Masha Gessen, who in July was sentenced, in absentia, to eight years in a Russian jail after accusing Russian forces of war crimes, has been unable to board a plane to Australia to speak at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas.

Gessen, who uses they/their pronouns, says their visa was not issued by Australian authorities in time, and they believe it is because they are now, at least in Russia, a convicted criminal.

Australian authorities have asked Gessen to provide evidence of an “FBI clearance or police check”. Authorities often request more information from visa applicants who have a criminal record.

Gessen says the charges were bogus. In a statement, they added: “The Russian government’s persecution of me has one purpose: to make me feel unfree even though I am living in exile and they can’t currently jail me. What they can try to do is make it hard for me to move around the world.

“I am shocked that the first allies the Russians have found in this quest to constrain me are the Australian authorities, who have functionally denied me a visa.

“I have been to Australia many times. I have a publisher there and many friends and academic collaborators. Being unable to go to Australia disrupts these intellectual connections and damages my work. This is exactly what the Kremlin hoped would happen.”

The Moscow Times reported in July that Gessen had been found guilty of “disseminating knowingly false information about Russian military personnel motivated by political hatred”.

Gessen was due to arrive in Australia at the weekend to speak at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, and at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre. They applied for a Temporary Work Activity Visa 408 to enter Australia, to give their speeches, and take part in talks.

Gessen was asked to provide “additional documentation” but said it was “not possible to meet” the demand, “or appropriate”.

Gessen is the author of The Man Without a Face, about the rise of Vladimir Putin. They are fiercely critical of Putin’s regime, and moved to the US after a Russian politician, aligned with Putin, began talking about introducing a law to remove children from gay families. Gessen, who has been married three times, each time to a woman, has a son adopted from an orphanage for children of HIV-AIDS patients, as well as two biological children.

The Man Without a Face by Masha Gessen.

They have won numerous awards, including the George Polk Award, the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thinking, and the National Book Award. Their books include Surviving Autocracy and The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia.

Festival director Danielle Harvey said: “We have a long history of presenting Masha at the festival. We only have digital presentations when the speaker is unable to enter Australia due to extreme circumstances. In the past this included keynote presentations live via video from Julian Assange and Edward Snowden.

“It now seems Masha may have to be presented by video as they have thus far been declined a visa to enter Australia. I certainly hope this will be reviewed and Masha will join us in person.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs is seeking a “an FBI check” or police clearance before issuing the visa to Gessen.

Gessen is due to speak at The Wheeler Centre in Melbourne on Wednesday, at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas on Saturday, August 24, and Sunday, August 25. The sessions will be held by video if the visa is not granted.