Russia condemns 19-year-old woman to almost 3 years for an anti-war poem

Von WOM

A court in St. Petersburg sentenced a 19-year-old woman to almost three years in a criminal colony after she was accused, repeats the Russian Statue of a Ukrainian poet glued.

condemnation of Darya Kozyreva

Darya Kozyreva was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, as the Joint Press Service of the courts in St. Petersburg announced on Friday.

The incident with the quote

Kozyreva was arrested on February 24, 2024 after she had attached a poem by the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko at his memorial in St. Petersburg, the independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info reported. The lines from Shevchenko's work "Mein Testament" were: "Oh welcome me, then get up / and break your heavy chains / and water with the blood of the tyrants / freedom you have achieved."

political persecution and allegations

In August 2024, a second case was submitted against her after she described the war of Russia in Ukraine as "monstrous" and "criminal" in an interview with Radio Free Europe, said OVD-Info. During one of her hearings, the teenager emphasized that she had only recited a poem and glued a quote in Ukrainian, "nothing more", reported the court press service.

previous legal problems

The anti-warrior activist had previously had legal problems. In December 2022 she was arrested during her school days when she "murderer, you bombed it. Judasse" wrote on an installation that was dedicated to the partnership of St. Petersburg with the Ukrainian Mariupol, according to the human rights group. A year later, she received a fine for "reduction" and was excluded by the university due to a contribution in a Russian social network in which she spoke about the "imperialist nature of war", the respected human rights organization Memorial.

reactions and international attention

memorial described Kozyreva as a political prisoner and condemned the allegations against them as "absurd" and an attempt to suppress the opposition. The public prosecutor had requested a six -year prison sentence, the Russian media channel Sota Vision from the courtroom reported. Video recordings from Reuters showed Kozyreva how she left the dish with a smile and waving with her hands.

call for release

Kozyreva's lawyer told Reuters that they would probably be appeal. The verdict was sentenced by Natalia Zviagina, the Russian director of Amnesty International, as "another frightening memory of how far the Russian authorities will go to silence peaceful opposition to their war in Ukraine". "Darya Kozyreva is punished because she cited a classic of 19th century Ukrainian poetry because she spoke out against an unjust war and because she is noticed. Explanation.

political repression in Russia

Russia has a long history to suppress the anti-warrior expression of expression among the younger generation. According to a report by CNN, at least 35 minors have come into conflict with the law due to politically motivated criminal charges in Russia. 23 cases have been initiated in 2022 since the majority invasion of Ukraine.

Current situation of the political prisoners in Russia

At the moment, according to a count of OVD-Info, more than 1,500 people have been imprisoned in Russia for political reasons, whereby the persecution of Dissens has increased since the beginning of the war. Between this time and December 2024, at least 20,070 people were arrested for anti-warrior views, and there were 9,369 cases of "reduction in the army" that relate to actions such as social media contributions or wearing clothes with Ukrainian flag symbols, according to OVD-Info.