According to Reuters, a Russian artist, Alexandra Skochilenko, could face an eight-year jail sentence for replacing supermarket price tags with messages denouncing Moscow’s war in Ukraine. This has sparked criticism from those who view it as part of a wider crackdown on dissent in Russia, with nearly 20,000 detentions and over 800 criminal cases related to speaking out against the conflict.
Russia’s laws on dissent were tightened following the country’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, with the aim of silencing voices that the government sees as divisive during what President Vladimir Putin has framed as an existential struggle with the West.
Skochilenko, also known as Sasha, confessed to replacing price tags in a St Petersburg supermarket on March 31, 2022, with small pieces of paper calling for an end to the war and criticizing the authorities. However, she denies the formal charge of knowingly spreading false information about the Russian army.
A state prosecutor is seeking an eight-year jail term and a three-year ban from using the Internet for Skochilenko, arguing that she committed a serious crime out of hatred for Russia. Her lawyers argue that she acted on her conscience, committed no crime, and would not survive jail due to pre-existing health problems.
Skochilenko is expected to make a final statement to the St Petersburg court and receive a verdict on Thursday.
Amnesty International has declared Skochilenko “a prisoner of conscience,” imprisoned solely because of her beliefs. Her lawyer, Yana Nepovinnova, argued in court that she should be acquitted, stating that people should not be punished for thinking and feeling differently or for objectively criticizing the authorities and their decisions.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Barbara Lewis)
