Tomorrow, a German judge will fine me one thousand euros for failing to appear in court after being summoned, because today I was ceremoniously handed a piece of paper saying that I will not be issued an international passport.
Before this, they would not issue me a passport because charges had been brought against me, and there was at least some logic to that: so I would not run away.
Now there is no logic at all, only: “Why are you even applying? The FSB officers (Russia’s security service) still won’t allow them to issue you a passport anyway.”
Under the law cited by the FMS (Federal Migration Service), my right to leave the country “may be temporarily restricted.”
This clearly implies that it is an exception rather than the rule, and that there must be some reason for it. If, say, there is evidence that this person’s trip to a beach in Turkey would interfere with his rehabilitation during a suspended sentence, then someone interested in making sure he does not end up in Turkey writes up a justification, and the FMS uses its option of imposing a temporary restriction.
An unreasoned refusal is completely unacceptable to me, so I am suing the Russian FMS and asking them to explain what compelling reasons they supposedly have for barring me from leaving the country. Let them tell the court all about the FSB’s instructions.
And of course, it is a great pity that I did not make it to the court hearing in Germany.
P.S. They charge a steep 16,000 rubles for expedited processing of international passport documents, and they do not refund it if the application is denied.