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Navalny’s lawyers are arrested. New «undesirable organizations» and pressure on political prisoners — here’s the key political repression news for October from OVD-Info.
Pressure on Political Prisoners
Memorial day for victims of political repression was held in October. Once again the government tried to interfere with the public commemorative event «Returning the Names» during which participants read out the names of victims of the Stalinist Great Terror. At the same time current political prisoners continue to suffer in prison every day.
Court of Appeal dismissed all motions of defense representatives of critically ill activist Igor Baryshnikov, who previously was sentenced to seven years and six months of colony imprisonment for his anti-war views. Baryshnikov is suspected to have cancer and is at risk of kidney failure. His OVD-Info lawyer Marya Bontsler is pursuing his exemption from criminal liability on the medical grounds.
Crimean activist Irina Danilovich may have had a stroke in the pre-trial detention center. While the woman has signs of brain damage, detention center doctors are not planning to do any further check-ups. One of the medical staff even said to Irina that she will be rid of the headaches once she «goes completely deaf». Earlier Danilovich was sentenced to seven years of prison because she was allegedly hiding explosives in a glasses case. Crimean-Tatar activist Vladlen Abdulkadyrov says that his leg went numb during his imprisonment, but he doesn’t receive the appropriate treatment. Tofik Abdulgaziev, imprisoned on a similar conviction, lost 15 kg in prison and suffers from joint pain due to regular cold exposure.
Defendants in politically motivated cases continue to be held in solitary confinement, punitive isolation cells and single cell-type facilities. In October alone there was a number of prisoners who were subjected to these forms of repression, among them politician Aleksey Navalny, defendants of «anti-war case» Vladimir Kara-Murza, Aleksey Gorinov, and Marya Ponomarenko, Jehovah’s witnesses Alam Aliyev, who is suffering preinfarction angina, as well as his fellows Victor Stashevsky, Adam Svarichevsky, Anton Olshevsky, and Pavel Kazadaev. 19-year old Valeria Zotova, a defendant in the case of attempted arson of an aid collection point for mobilized soldiers, was placed in solitary confinement along with all her cellmates when they refused to report on her.
In October OVD-Info published a comprehensive article on how colonies administrations use punishment cells as a way to put pressure on political prisoners.
Moreover many defendants are denied any connection with the outside world: they are banned from phone calls or receiving letters or parcels. In October this was the experience of Yan Ksenzhepolsky, defendant in the Vesna case, Mikhail Kulkov, defendant in the «Network» case, Richard Rose and Ludmila Razumova, sentenced for anti-war statements, Saveliy Frolov, convicted for an attempt to join the «Freedom of Russia» legion, as well as the creator of Left Resistance Darya Poludova, ex-chief of Navalny Headquarters in Ufa Liliya Chanysheva and activist of Crimean Solidarity Ametkhan Umerov.
The imprisoned Aleksey Navalny continues to file lawsuits against his colony administration based on violation of his rights. Only in October five such lawsuits were dismissed by court. On the eve of one such hearing the news of the arrest of three Navalny’s lawyers: Igor Sergunin, Vadim Kobzeev, and Aleksey Liptser became known. All three were detained awaiting trial and charged with participation in an extremist organisation: allegedly they have been delivering Navalny’s letters from prison. «Why were they arrested? Why is lawyer Kobzeev, who has three children, being repressed? Or two other lawyers who haven’t been working with me for more than a year?» Aleksey Navalny commented on this matter.
Prosecutions due to Anti-War Stance
Criminal cases against activists Irina Izmaylova and Alexander Demidenko, who gave assistance to Ukrainian refugees, were initiated in October. Ismaylova’s boyfriend was placed on the wanted list because he joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Security forces conducted a search in St. Tikhon and Intercession Church in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, during which they mocked and abused priest Ion (Ilya Sigida), threatening to initiate a criminal case on the grounds of discrediting the Russian army.
Yakut activist Aykhal Ammosov was taken to a pre-trial detention centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan, after Russian security forces initiated cases for repeatedly discrediting Russian army in Ukraine and justification of terrorism. He could face extradition. The Kamchatka resident was stripped of Russian citizenship due to posts criticizing Russians and the war in Ukraine. Before getting Russian citizenship he was a citizen of Ukraine. Now he has no citizenship.
Irkutsk activist Ilya Podkamenny was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. He is accused of planning an arson attempt on a military recruiting office and of attaching anti-military flyers to railway tracks. Podkamenny is 19 years old. His own mother was a witness for the prosecution at the trial.
The Memorial’s co-head Oleg Orlov was fined 250 thousand rubles (approx. 2725 USD) under the article on repeated discrediting the Russian army. Later the prosecutor’s office requested that Orlov should be sentenced to 3 years of penal colony.
OVD-Info regularly updates the infographic about people who are faced with criminal prosecution for their anti-war position. You can get the details of the latest updates in this month’s Persecution of the anti-war movement report.
Repressive Lawmaking
In October the lower house of parliament passed in the first reading a draft law on criminalizing criticism directed at the National Guard of the Russian Federation. The authors of the document propose to expand the scope of the articles on «fake facts» and discrediting the Russian army, and also prohibit giving any assistance to the investigations against security officers by international courts which Russia is no longer member of. In addition, the State Duma adopted the bill allowing it to block websites containing calls for donations to Ukrainian armed forces or instructions on how to transfer money to Ukranian organizations and funds.
Deputies and senators also submitted two repressive draft laws: one banning «undesirable organizations» from being a founder of non-profit organizations and social movements, and on prosecuting Russian citizens outside the country under administrative articles on discrediting the Russian army and incitement to separatism.
«Foreign Agents» And «Undesirable Organisations»
«Foreign Agents»
On 13 and 20 October the Ministry of Justice updated the registry of «foreign agents». In the Republic of Tatarstan Alsu Kurmasheva, editor of Radio Liberty, was indicted in a criminal case based on failing to put herself on the registry. She was then detained awaiting trial. Investigators believe that she was collecting information about military activities which foreign sources could use against national security. Hence she should have submitted information to the Minitstry for inclusion in the registry.
«Undesirable Organisations»
In October the prosecutor general’s office recognized two more academic institutions as an undesirable organization: Center for East European Studies and International Studies (ZOiS) (Germany) and the Central European University (Austria). In addition, it became known from the list of «undesirable organizations» of the Ministry of Justice that earlier similar decisions were made with respect to the Hudson Institute and the Foundation for Democratic Development (USA), non-profit organizations UnKremlin (Germany) and the Committee-2024 (Poland).
Large-scale raids took place in Moscow in connection with the case of the Ukrainian spiritual center «Vozrozhdenie» (Revival). The center became an «undesirable organization» in November 2022. Later, two people suspected of organizing the activity of the center were sentenced to house arrest, and another was sent to a pre-trial detention center.
«Extremist Organisations»
In Oryol, Jehovah’s Witnesses Vladimir Melnik, Artur Putintsev and Vladimir Piskarev were sentenced to six years in a penal colony each, and their fellow believer from Pskov region Alexei Khabarov was sentenced to two and a half years. In addition, believers Zinaida Minenko (Stavropol Krai) and Andrei Sazonov (Ugra) were sentenced to large fines, and Vladimir Baykalov and Yuri Chernykh (Kemerovo Oblast) were given suspended sentences and forced labor respectively. In October, it also became known that new criminal cases were initiated against Jehovah’s Witnesses from Crimea and Karachay-Cherkessia, and a resident of Adler was arrested for 10 days for posting a link to the denomination’s website.
In Mari El, a criminal case was initiated on involvement in the movement of deniers of the collapse of the USSR; in Tatarstan a case was initiated on «coordination of participants of the Artpodgotovka»; in Mordovia mass searches were conducted in the case of the institute of representative bodies of the Erzya people Kirdiyur. Mahmud Ibadulayev, a «citizen of the USSR» from Dagestan, was sentenced to two years and two months in a penal colony.
A resident of Moscow Alexey Malyarevsky, was sent to pre-trial detention as a suspect in participating in an unnamed extremist organization. Previously, he made statements in defense of Alexey Navalny.
Freedom of Speech-Related Persecution
Cases on Calls for Terrorism or Extremism and Anti-State Activities
«Everything that belongs to Putin, is used by Putin, should burn!» these words in a comment were the reason Andrei K., who emigrated to the United States, became involved in a case of calls for terrorism. Activist Olga Misik faced criminal prosecution under the same article because of her comment about the death of military correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky.
A criminal case was filed against Oleg Kuvaev, the author of the animated series «Masyanya», under the article on public calls to carry out activities undermining security of the state, due to the fact that Masyanya in one of the episodes urged Russian soldiers to surrender.
Anadyr resident Dmitry Aritkulov was sentenced to five and a half years in prison because, according to the police, he wrote the comment «Death to the occupiers, freedom to the peoples! Greetings from Chukotka!» The same comment contained a proposal to create a new coat of arms for Russia with a mop, sledgehammer and a rake. Also St. Petersburg resident Marianella Filatova was given a suspended sentence under the article on calls to extremism because of a comment about throwing paint at the police car.
Cases on «Rehabilitation of Nazism», Desecration of Symbols and Insulting the Religious Feelings
Oryol residents who painted over a banner with the letter Z, Samara residents who «desecrated» a monument to «participants of the Special Military Operation», anti-war blogger Sergei Veselov from Ivanovo oblast, who criticized the war with Ukraine on VKontakte, and Ryazan resident Sergei Bakanov and local historian Dmitry Vitushkin, who discussed the liberation of Leningrad on social networks, all faced persecution under the article on the rehabilitation of Nazism in October.
Syktyvkar resident Vasily Zadorozhny was sentenced to correctional labor for spilling lemonade on the Eternal Flame monument, and Islam Bekuev and Karim Daitumov, who urinated on a similar monument in the Stavropol Territory, were sentenced to a penal colony.
A case was filed against Cannes bloggers Roman Kvitkovsky and Nikolai Sosin for insulting the religious feelings because they danced and swore in church during the morning liturgy.
Freedom of Assembly-Related Persecution
Detentions at Protests and Their Consequences
In October, Russian police continued to detain those who participated in protests against the war with Ukraine, spoke out in support of political prisoners, and tried to draw attention to issues of architecture protection and ecology. Moscow resident Irina Zavzyanova was accused of discrediting the Russian army because she held a picket with a sign against terrorism at the Israeli Embassy. OVD-Info told her story in detail.
Refusals to Authorize Rallies
Russian officials, in turn, continued to refuse approval to political actions: in October, in several cities the officials did not agree to allow the «Returning the Names» event, in Chelyabinsk they did not approve a Palestine solidarity rally, in Kazan — the Tatar People Remembrance Day. Police also conducted searches of activists that wanted to hold a prayer in memory of victims of the 1552 siege of Kazan.
Syktyvkar residents were not allowed to organize a mass rally in support of the return of direct elections of municipality heads, because the «Young Guard» movement decided to host an event «about the importance of fathers in children’s lives» on the same day. Novosibirsk resident Sergei Volkov was fined 20 thousand rubles (approx. 220 USD) due to his plans to record a group video message in support of journalist Maria Ponomarenko.
Pressure on the LGBTQ Community
Beauty blogger Igor Sinyak was fined 200,000 rubles (approx. 2200 USD) under the article on «gay propaganda» for a post with the text «Oleg Gazmanov was seen wearing a Prada down jacket costing 340,000 rubles in Luzhniki with the taped logo, of course». The text of the court ruling does not specify how exactly this publication «propagandized LGBT community». The OpenArt festival was canceled in Moscow after accusations of spreading of «gay propaganda».
Persecution of Journalists and Human Rights Activists
Magomed Alamov, a lawyer of the «Team Against Torture», is threatened with reprisals by the family of Marina Yandieva, a 27-year-old victim of domestic violence whom he had helped. Journalists Alena Sadovskaya and Lilian Rubtsova, who came to the house of Yandieva’s family in Nazran, were detained for questioning. Olga Suvorova, a human rights activist from the «Soft Power» movement, was beaten up at the police station in Krasnoyarsk when she came there with a сomplainant in a fraud case.
Three supporters of Vladimir Vorontsov, the author of the «Police Ombudsman» blog — Vasily Fedorov, Yevgeny Moiseyev and Irina Andina — were sentenced to prison terms in a case of deliberately false denunciation because they made a movie about falsifications in Vorontsov’s case. Vorontsov himself was released from the colony in October.
«Orlets» journalists Vladimir Panfilov and Artem Prokhorov were given suspended sentences in the case of extortion from a local businessman. The latter denied in court that the journalists had put any pressure on him.
A libel case was opened against «SOTA» over their statements that animated porn is being distributed through the website of the «Russian Observer», a media registered by Ekaterina Mizulina’s Safe Internet League.
Yekaterinburg human rights activist Alexei Sokolov was arrested for five days under the article on displaying extremist symbols because of the Facebook logo.
Idris Yusupov, an employee of the «Novoye Delo», was searched in Makhachkala: he had been brought in as a witness in the case of riots at the city’s airport and all his devices were confiscated on those grounds.
Andrei Shalaev, the creator of the «Immortal Barrack» project, was detained at the train station in Tver when he was accompanying French journalists to the «Mednoye» memorial complex. He was held at the police station for two days.
Repressions on the Territory of the Annexed Crimea
Crimean Tatars Lutfiya Veliyeva and Amet Bairov had their homes searched in Crimea, and both were released after investigation was complete. Human rights lawyer Alexei Ladin also faced a search, after which he was arrested for 14 days because of a five-year-old Facebook post and fined under the article on discrediting the army. Local resident Irina Bobyleva-Smirnova was forced to apologize in a video because of a tattoo with the Ukrainian coat of arms and a video with songs in Ukrainian.