It was in March last year that Aleksandra Skotshilenko replaced price tags in several supermarkets with slogans directed at criticism of the war in the neighboring country. This was one of the slogans: “The Russian army has bombed a school in Mariupol. About 400 people sought shelter in it against the shelling.” Russian authorities say this is not true. According to Reuters, another pitch accused President Vladimir Putin of “lying” and referred to “senseless deaths”. ACTIVIST: Aleksandra Skochilenko exchanged price tags with slogans against the war in Ukraine. Photo: Pen Asking for eight years One of the customers in the shop complained about Skotshilenko’s protest action, which led to the young woman’s arrest. – The prosecution has asked for eight years, reports the independent website Mediazona with reference to a journalist in the courtroom in St. Petersburg. The 33-year-old Skochilenko is accused of spreading disinformation about the Russian military. According to the authorities, this is in violation of a law that was introduced by the Russian government after the invasion of Ukraine in February last year. According to Amnesty, replacing price tags on goods with anti-war slogans, as Skoshilenko is suspected of having done in a store in St. Petersburg, is not an internationally recognized crime. The organization has long demanded that the 33-year-old be released. – A form of death sentence – Requiring eight years in prison is a very severe punishment, and in Skotshilenko’s case it is a form of death sentence, says Inna Sangadzhieva to news. She is head of department in the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and points out that the 33-year-old has serious illnesses that require special treatment. RISKING SEVERE PUNISHMENTS: Aleksandra Skotshilenko during a previous court hearing. Photo: AFP Sangadzhieva believes that the authorities will show what they can do with those who oppose the war, even when it comes to actions as innocent as this one. The purpose is to frighten. She points out that Skotshilenko is an activist, an artist, a lesbian, and comes from an intellectual environment. – The authorities fear those who use peaceful means to protest against the war in Ukraine. – Tougher measures According to the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, there are 604 documented political prisoners in Russia. The dark figures are probably large. In March next year, there will be what the Russian authorities call presidential elections. SCAREM: Inna Sangadzhieva is head of department in the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. She expects that she will now proceed harder against critical voices. Photo: The Norwegian Helsingborg Committee Sangadzhieva believes that the Putin regime wants to remove everything that can cause irritation and unrest in the period until March. – There will probably be tougher measures against critical voices in the future, says the head of department. She points to the opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza being sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year for criticizing the Russian military. – Full censorship – This is a terrible development, it shows that there is full censorship in Russia now, says senior adviser Ane Tusvik Bonde at Amnesty Norway to news. IN A METAL CAGE: Aleksandra Skotshilenko is treated as a dangerous criminal after switching price tags. Photo: AFP She believes that this case is a signal to others, and that it is impossible to have a vibrant civil society when individuals risk so much. Tusvik Bonde emphasizes that Skotsjilenko should never have been in prison. But in other cases activists have also been sentenced to 6-7 years in prison for similar protests against the war in Ukraine.
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Russia will sentence the artist Aleksandra Skotshilenko to 8 years – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
