Political exile is a state of being removed from one’s country, village, or residence for political reasons. Exile is usually a punishment, but it may also be a means of consolidating power by removing competing factions. It is an important theme in modern political thought and has shaped contemporary discussions about the legitimacy of dissent, refugee status, and human rights as societies struggle with issues of governance and control.
Those who decide to leave their countries for moral and political reasons belong to a community of exiles. This community consists of activists, journalists and human rights defenders who face repression or have been pushed into exile for their beliefs. Often they remain active and maintain their ideals, deliberately keeping connections with like-minded people in Russia and spending a lot of energy staying connected to them.
In addition to individuals who go into exile, there are also governments in exile, which have been established abroad during a wartime occupation or after a revolution or coup d’état. Examples include the Polish government-in-exile and the Free French government led by Charles de Gaulle in the Sigmaringen enclave of Germany during WWII.
The United States, for example, continues to define a category of exile in its immigration laws and bans the entry of anyone who seeks “to engage in activities that are designed to overthrow or control the Government of the United States by force or violence” from entering the country. This is in addition to its well-established asylum and refugee laws, which protect individuals who have been threatened or harmed for their political or religious beliefs.
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