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A musician and artist from Russia has been imprisoned for seven years for swapping price tags at a supermarket with anti-war messages. This act has been condemned by others who oppose Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, who see it as a disheartening portrayal of the current state of Russia.
Sasha Skochilenko, a 33-year-old who identifies as a pacifist, attended a court hearing in St Petersburg on November 17th after being in pre-trial detention for 19 months. She was accused in April of discrediting the Russian armed forces and spreading false information about a “special military operation”.
The artist, while confined by bars, blew kisses and gestured a love symbol with her hands during her last court appearance, as onlookers cheered from the outside. She was wearing a tie-dye shirt with a peace sign displayed on the front.
Her seven-year sentence was handed down in the same week that former Russian detective Sergei Khadzhikurbanov, who murdered Kremlin-critic Anna Politkovskaya in 2006, was pardoned by Putin for spending a year fighting in Ukraine. He had served less than half of his sentence, having been imprisoned in 2014.
Vladimir Putin granted a pardon to Sergei Khadzhikurbanov on Monday.
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This week, it came to light that Vladvislav Kanyus, the individual responsible for the death of his 23-year-old girlfriend Vera Pekhteleva in 2020, is no longer compensating her family. This is due to his pardon for involvement in a “special military operation”.
Ms Skochilenko received a seven-year prison sentence for creating statements such as “Russian soldiers are being deployed to Ukraine. The lives of our youth are the cost of this conflict.”
One of her catchphrases stated: “An arts school in Mariupol was bombed by the Russian army, with approximately 400 people taking shelter from the shelling.”
During her trial on Thursday, Sasha Skochilenko gestured the sign for love with her hands.
Evgenia Kara-Murza, the wife of a Russian opposition figure currently serving 25 years in a Siberian colony for speaking out against the war in Ukraine, said the sentencing of Ms Skochilenko against the backdrop of Khadzhikurbanov’s presidential pardon was “a very good illustration of the situation in Russia”.
According to her statement to The Independent, those who criticize the unjust war in Ukraine and the oppressive Russian regime are often labeled as criminals, traitors, spies, or mentally unstable individuals.
“Real murderers and rapists are currently roaming the streets of Russia, freely committing similar crimes, and are being glorified as heroes in the supposed fight against Nazis in Ukraine.”
This is the result of their actions in Ukraine where they caused harm to innocent individuals.
“That is incredibly sad and alarming. It is also a strong depiction of the overall state of affairs in Russia.”
Vladimir Kara-Murza’s spouse, Evgenia, expressed her sorrow over Ms Skochilenko’s punishment, calling it a tragic event.
Ms Skochilenko was taken into custody one month following the implementation of a law in Russia that makes any public statements regarding the conflict in Ukraine, which go against the official stance of the Kremlin, a criminal offense.
The law has been utilized to suppress dissent among political opponents, human rights advocates, and everyday citizens who voice criticism of the Russian government. As a result, numerous individuals have been sentenced to long periods of imprisonment.
Around 750 individuals have been charged with crimes due to their opposition to war, while more than 8,100 have faced minor charges for defaming the military, resulting in either a fine or a brief period of imprisonment.
The exact number of presidential pardons given for involvement in the Ukraine conflict is unknown, but it is estimated that tens of thousands of former prisoners were recruited to join the “special military operation”.
Ms Skochilenko has acknowledged replacing the price tags with her anti-war slogans, but denies intentionally spreading false information.
Speaking to the judge on Thursday, she stated: “It is evident to everyone that you are not prosecuting a terrorist. You are not prosecuting an extremist. You are also not prosecuting a political activist. You are prosecuting a pacifist.”
Source: independent.co.uk
