14 September 2024
OVD-Info is a Russian civil society organisation that monitors politically-motivated arrests and prosecutions in Russia. Each week OVD-Info publishes a bulletin with the latest news, which is translated here. To receive the mailing in Russian, visit here.
News
Elections held in various regions of Russia were marked by falsifications of results and pressure on electoral observers and members of territorial electoral commissions; a Moscow region construction worker was sentenced for anti-war slogans written on key fobs; and a defendant in case of repeated discreditation of the Russian Army was deprived of parental rights in absentia
Electoral observers and members of regional election commissions faced intimidation during the elections on 8 September elections and violence after them On election day in the Crimean town of Sevastopol, lawyer Vladimir Novikov slashed his wrists at a polling station. He later claimed that he was brought to do this by local law enforcement and a district judge. At a St. Petersburg poling station, observer Dmitry Popov was violently arrested, when he was manhandled and strangled aggressively by three unknown people. On the morning of 9 September, a security guard and the chair of a local council attacked Dinara Idrisova, a member of the local Electoral Commission and a human rights activist. The same day, a St. Petersburg electoral commission member with a deciding vote in commission affairs, Aleksandr Kliukov, was attacked by the head of the Georgievsky district council in St. Petersburg, Vitaly Zholdasov, who threw boiling water in his face, as a result of which Kliukov was hospitalised.
- Why is this important? Those who strive to make elections in Russia fair are traditionally met with intimidation. Golos, the movement for electors’ rights, identified nearly four hundred violations during the latest three-day electoral cycle . Officials currently in office do their utmost to protect their power, employing even the most dirty tactics – including violence.
Man employed by Moscow construction company Raduga sentenced to three years in penal colony for anti-war slogans written on key fob. Sergei Krasiuk had been found guilty previously of discrediting the Russian army. According to the investigation into his case, he wrote slogans such as ‘Glory to Ukraine,’ ‘Victory will be Ukraine’s,’ and ‘Putin is a thief’ on key fobs for lockers to store mobile phones. Upon discovering these slogans, the head of security ordered the entire factory to be evacuated, and all doors locked. The standstill that resulted from this evacuation went on for 50 minutes and resulted in the company losing 237,000 roubles, for which Krasiuk was prosecuted under the second, and more serious, part of the article of the Criminal Code on discrediting the Russian army.
- Why do I need to know this? Prosecutions of Russian citizens making any sort of anti-war statements have been going on for more than two years. 237,000 roubles of damages for slogans written on a key fob seems to be utterly absurd, but it was this absurdity which caused the judge to not just imprison him for discrediting the Russian army, but also for the second charge: discreditation leading to the disruption of industrial production. The law enforcement bodies use any minor infringements to justify putting dissenters behind bars.
Archangelsk region defendant in case of repeated discreditation of Russian Army deprived of parental rights in absentia.The official explanation for the decision was that Lydia Prudovskaya, who had adopted a child, failed to declare the child’s new address to the relevant organisations in charge of guardianship and social care the day after moving home. Prudovskaya had left Russia with her two children in March 2023 because of criminal charges pressed against her for posts on the VKontakte social media platform. She first learned of the criminal case in July 2023, when she was given notice of a court order for her apartment to be searched. Prudovskaya was summoned to a police interview as a suspect, and her daughter – at that time nine years old – and son, then ten, were called as witnesses.
- Why is this important? The state strives to punish those who oppose the war. If someone is fortunate enough to leave Russia and escape serving time in penal colonies, then the system can act in other ways. For example, depriving them of parental rights, seriously complicates the lives of families even when they are abroad – causing problems with official documentation.
Science-fiction writer convicted for online posts diagnosed with cancer Zakhar Zapirov has been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour located in the parotid salivary gland. He is not being provided with medical attention or a special diet in the pre-trial detention centre, despite the fact he is unable to digest hard foods. In April, Zapirov was sentenced to five years in a penal colony for glorifying terrorism, for a post he made calling for Ramzan Kadyrov not to send Chechen troops to fight in Ukraine, and to use these troops instead to fight for Chechen independence from Russia. He was arrested in a penal colony where he taught prisoners maths.
- Why do I need to know this? We often write about the poor-quality healthcare provided in pre-trial detention centres and penal colonies, or even its complete absence. This is a wide-spread problem, affecting not only prisoners. Cancer is always a horrible thing to face, but it is especially horrible knowing that medical care is practically unavailable. However, in situations such as this, publicising the situation can help. For example it was most likely because of this that Igor Baryshnikov, sentenced for ‘fake news’ about the war, was finally able to have a medical operation which had been continually postponed since March.
Features
Agent ‘Television’: the life of an NKVD provocateur responsible for the repression of more than one hundred scientists The Leningrad Blockade began on 8 September 1941. On the anniversary of one of Russian history’s most tragic events, we decided to tell the story of another tragedy that took place at the same time. Because of provocateurs, including one Evgeny Merkulov, chekists arrested more than one hundred scientists and their family members. A minimum of five were executed by firing squad, those remaining were sent to prison camps, and only a few survived. Merkulov himself outlived his victims, and he is known today as a scientist and inventor. We publish the story of his life. Continue reading
Calling for the destruction of occupiers as ‘inciting hate.’ Baumann Moscow State Technical University lecturer arrested for five songs on VKontakte. Aleksandr Nesterenko is a lecturer at the Baumann Moscow State Technical University, and a voting member of the district electoral commission. His students are not keen on him because of his aloha shirts, and because of his strict marking habits. The authorities are prosecuting him for allegedly calling via online reposts for the “destruction of Russians as enemy combatants”. On 3 September, Nesterenko’s house was searched, and he is now on remand pending trial. We tell the story of how, on the eve of the elections, a charge was laid against the election observer that is usually reserved for cases involving Ukrainian politicians. Continue reading
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