Aaliyah Fooks
Recent months have seen councillors, opposition politicians, anti-war activists and TV journalists arrested for denouncing Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Alexei Gorinov is the first of those arrested for anti-war statements to receive a full jail term.
On the 24th of February 2022, Russia began their escalation of the 2014 Russo-Ukrainian War, by invading neighbouring Ukraine.
The invasion has led to the displacement of over 6.1million refugees to areas across Europe. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) verified 5,024 deaths of civilians in Ukraine during the war as of July 11.
Arrested for Anti-War Statements – Three Recent Cases
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has seen a targeted silencing of those expressing anti-war sentiments in Russia. The most recent arrests include Moscow Councillor Alexei Gorinov, Opposition Politician Ilya Yashin, and Russian TV Journalist Marina Ovsyannikova.
The Arrest of Alexei Gorinov
This case is the latest in a string of arrests. Politicians and activists alike have been arrested, but where Gorinov’s case differs, is in the seven-year jail sentence he has received.
Alexei Gorinov, 60, was arrested for expressing anti-war statements in April 2022
When discussing the Russian-Ukraine War, it is key to remember that Russians have been banned from using “war” to describe the Russian invasion, allowing Judge Mendeleyeva to rule Gorinov’s dissent as a crime of “political hatred”, that mislead the Russian people.
Following a district meeting in Krasnoselsky (North-East Moscow), Alexei Gorinov, 60, was arrested for expressing anti-war statements in April 2022. The arrest occurred a month after Alexei expressed reservations about holding a drawing contest for children and young people whilst children of a similar age were dying in Ukraine.
The meeting began with a moment’s silence to remember the victims, which has been deemed by the Russian court as ‘political action’. This, in conjunction with Alexei’s use of the banned term “war”, saw his sentencing under the umbrella of domestic sabotage, with a likeness to terrorism.
This is only one of the cases of the Russian Government arresting and charging ‘dissenters’.
Marina Ovsyannikova & Anti-War Journalism
Amongst those facing jail time are a politician from the opposing party, Ilya Yashin, 38, and TV Journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, 44, who were arrested for ‘disobeying a police officer and for an on-air anti-war protest respectively.
One of the targeted journalists, Ovsyannikova, has seen Russia steadily decrease the autonomy and freedom of its press. Her case is one of many journalists arrested for expressing anti-war statements.
“Stop the war. Don’t believe propaganda. They are lying to you”.
Канада внесла в санкционный список Екатерину Андрееву. pic.twitter.com/CUPlZgxc97
— Marina Ovsyannikova (@newslady19) July 8, 2022
Ovsyannikova’s recent demonstrations of activism include:
- An interview in support of Ilya Yashin.
- A single picket outside of the Kremlin read: ‘”Putin is a murderer, his soldiers are fascists” alongside photos of children killed in Ukraine.
- A live protest on March 14th on Vremya news, where Ovsyannikova rushed onto the set holding a poster in Russian: “Stop the war. Don’t believe the propaganda. They are lying to you”. Ovsyannikova shouted “Stop the war!” and ” No to war!”
Ovsyannikova has been fined for ‘discrediting the Russian military’ and ‘calling for illegal protests’.
The Arrest of Ilya Yashin
Yashin has been fined four times for ‘discrediting the Russian military’, culminating in a 15-day jail term, which came after he disobeyed a police officer. This is a charge that he denies.
On July 12th, a day before he was due to be released from the 15-day sentence, Ilya Yashin became the subject of a criminal case.
Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin was brought to court. The investigation demands to arrest him before September in the case of "discrediting" the #Russian army. pic.twitter.com/Je3GWArLVW
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 13, 2022
Charged with “discrediting the Russian Military”, Yashin was arrested the following day. This conviction could lead to a sentence of 15 years in prison.
Due to the nature of the charges brought against Yashin, he will stay in prison until September 12th.
Living as an Opposition Politician in Russia
Before his detention, Yashin was one of the last prominent Russian opposition leaders to remain at liberty inside the country. Charged with discrediting the Russian Army, Kremlin critic Vladimir Kara-Murza has been under arrest since April 2022. Many others have fled abroad to avoid arrest.
The cases of Alexei Gorinov, Ilya Yashin and Marina Ovsyannikova, are the most recent examples of criminalisation that anti-war protesters face in Russia.
Faced with an impossible choice, Russian activists can either be arrested for speaking up for their beliefs or continue to live in a country where they are unable to express their views safely.
Image courtesy of Garry White via Flickr. Image licence found here. No changes were made to this image.
