The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) has launched a procedure to deprive artist Pyotr Pavlensky of refugee status. Pavlensky posted a copy of the relevant notice sent by the French Refugee Protection Office (OFPRA) on his Facebook page.
The document indicates that the refugee status granted to the artist in April 2017 may be withdrawn due to the two sentences issued against Pavlensky in France. In January 2019, Pavlensky was given a suspended prison sentence for setting fire to the Bank of France building in Paris. Pavlensky explained the action by saying that the bank was located on the site of the Bastille prison (“a symbol of absolute monarchy”) which was “one of the main symbols of the occupation of Paris.”
In October 2023, Pavlensky received a six-month suspended prison sentence in the case of publishing an intimate video of former Paris mayoral candidate Benjamin Griveaux.
Ofra warned that he “may conclude that Pavlensky’s presence on French soil poses a serious threat to society.”
The notice is dated May 26, 2026. Pavlensky is required to provide clarifications within 21 days regarding the facts of the criminal prosecution and to provide documents and other evidence in favor of maintaining refugee status.
In Russia, Pavlensky was involved in two criminal cases – about sabotage due to the “Freedom” act (its participants burned tires on a bridge in St. Petersburg) in 2014, and about damage to a cultural heritage site due to the “Threat” act (Pavlensky set fire to the door of the FSB building in Moscow) in 2016. In the first case, the artist was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations; In the second, a fine was imposed.
In 2017, Pavlensky and his colleague Oksana Shalygina left for France after actress Anastasia Slonina accused the artist of sexual harassment and beating her friend. Pavlensky described the accusations as politically motivated. In 2020, Shalygina accused Pavlensky of violence.