“Witch hunt” against journalists, graffiti artists and teachers in Russia under Putin’s new law

At least 46 people have been prosecuted in Russia for their stance against the war in Ukraine. Russia’s criminal justice system has charged them with crimes such as defamation, inciting extremist activities, inciting mass riots, hatred and fraud, among others, Amnesty International reported Wednesday, condemning the ongoing “tail-hunting” in the country. .

In at least 10 of these cases, people critical of the government were investigated through a new information control law that could punish those who “spread” a different version of the war from the Kremlin. The bill was unanimously approved by both chambers of the Russian parliament on March 4 and was signed by President Vladimir Putin on the same day, cutting off most of the country’s international media and several independent media representatives left in the country. This week’s newspaper Novaya GazetaNobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov has announced that he will no longer publish because he can not report on the war.

In addition, last Tuesday, the law was expanded to criminalize any actions by Russian government officials in what it calls “spreading false news” abroad.

“Vladimir Putin’s persecution of opponents of the invasion of Ukraine goes far beyond his previous attempts to crack down on protesters and activists. Critics of the war face an absurd amount of arbitrary accusations just for speaking out. “They are not only accused of ‘discrediting’ the armed forces, but also of slander, fraud or ‘terrorism’,” said Marie Strutters, Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

More than a month after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at least 60 criminal cases have reportedly been launched for peaceful protests against the war or public criticism of the Russian government. AgoraRussian human rights organization.

Surveillance of networks and messaging platforms

The latest version of the information control law now provides for a fine of 1.5 million rubles (approximately 13,000 euros) and up to 15 years in prison for anyone who disseminates what the government considers “false information” about these state agencies. Russians operating abroad. The new regulation may take effect by the end of the week, according to the NGO Net Freedoms Project, although its previous version has already affected at least 10 people.

As reported by Amnesty International, on March 16, Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a food blogger with 910,000 followers on Instagram, became the first person to be charged under the new law. He was accused of “deliberately sharing false information about the use of Russian armed forces to destroy cities and civilians in Ukraine, including children.” The first to be arrested was Sergei Klokov, a technician at the Moscow City Police Department. According to his lawyer, on March 18 he was accused of spreading “fake news” during telephone calls with residents of Crimea and the Moscow region.

They were followed by Alexander Nevzorov, a prominent journalist who gained popularity during the perestroika (state-sanctioned political reforms in the 1980s) and were accused of sharing information about attacks by a maternity hospital in Russia on March 22 in Mariupol, after criticizing the post.

On March 25, Isabella Evloeva, a journalist from the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, was charged after posting a pro-war symbol “Z” on social media as a “synonym for aggression, death.” Pain and obvious manipulation. ”

Opinions against the war are also being prosecuted under other repressive articles of the Criminal Code, the human rights group reported.

On March 18, Kazan activist Andrei Boyarshinov was charged with two counts of “justifying terrorism” and placed under house arrest for two months for anti-war reporting he made on the Telegram channel.

On March 24, Irina Bistrova, an art teacher from Petrozavodsk, was accused of sharing “fake news” and “justifying terrorism” messages she posted on the Russian social network VKontakte.

Street signs as well as IDPs

As the organization spreads criticism of the war, the Russian government also sought to criminalize street art and graffiti. At least nine activists and a street artist have been charged with writing “hate” graffiti, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison.

On March 18, Yekaterinburg Street artist Leonid Chern was arrested for affixing stickers that read “Charge 200” – the official code word for military casualties – before being arrested on charges of “public intoxication” and “hooliganism”.

Dimitra Kozirev, a resident of Tula, was arrested on March 20 for writing “War is a Requiem for Common Sense” on the walls of a 16th-century Kremlin fortress. On March 23, Nikolai Vorotnyov from St. Petersburg was arrested for painting a Ukrainian flag on a World War II howitzer at an open-air war museum.