Helsinki Administrative Court decided on Thursday to block the deportation of Russian human rights activist Maria Kirbasova, who has been living in Finland in the care of her daughter Kermen Soitun since the autumn.
The Finnish Immigration Service resolved in mid-May that Kirbasova should be deported. Helsinki Administrative Court ruled against Kirbasova on Tuesday.
A new appeal submitted on Wednesday included a statement from a psychiatrist indicating that the 67-year-old Kirbasova, an arthritis sufferer and stroke victim, is completely dependent on her daughter, who is a Finnish citizen and lives in Helsinki.
Already in previous medical certificates it was stated that Kirbasova is in such poor condition that travel would endanger her health.
In its new ruling on Thursday, the court blocked the implementation of the order.
Kirbasova’s lawyer Leo Hertzberg welcomes the decision, saying that it will allow Kirbasova to live in peace for several months.
Before coming to Finland last autumn, Kirbasova had worked on behalf of young soldiers and the victims of the war in Chechnya. She was also one of the founders of the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers.
An online petition on Kirbasova’s behalf has brought in more than 1,500 signatures.
