Russian Artist is in “Unsanitary” Detention After Allegedly Switching Supermarket Product Stickers
Russian artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who “allegedly sneaked anti-war messages onto supermarket price tags” is suffering ill-treatment in a detention centre, including being denied medical treatment, according to her girlfriend Sonia Subbotina.
Alexandra is awaiting trial in a St Petersberg detention center, where she is “experiencing bullying and “unsanitary” conditions contributing to her ill health,” Sonia said to Insider.
The 31-year-old was “arrested on April 11 after switching supermarket price tags with anti-war slogans in a protest against her country’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“We need your help [heart emoji],” wrote Twitter user @sovietvisuals. “This is our friend Sasha Skochilenko. She is facing 10 years in prison. Her crime? Replacing supermarket price labels with anti-war appeals and information on Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine.”
Charged with “Fake News”
Alexandra is being charged under the new “fake news” law in Russia. In March, Russian lawmakers “dramatically toughened “fake news” laws, in the Kremlin’s latest move to crack down on domestic dissent amid its ongoing war on Ukraine,” according to Politico. “The new laws, approved by lawmakers in the state Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, threaten those who “knowingly” spread so-called false information about all Russian state bodies operating abroad with fines of 1.5 million rubles (around €13,000) and prison sentences of up to 15 years.”
“The new amendments add to existing legislation which criminalizes Russians who disseminate “false information” about the Russian army, and will now head to the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, before being signed into law by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The laws will likely come into force ten days after this, according to legal rights group Net Freedoms Project.”
“The move, which affects discussion of the Russian Guard, Russian embassies, the Prosecutor’s office and other state, military, law enforcement and judicial bodies, comes during a wider Russian state clampdown on opposition amid broad Western condemnation of the war on Ukraine.”
In essence, the “fake news” law is intended to silence Russian people who condemn the government, especially with regard to its military decisions. “More than 15,000 Russians were detained between February 24 and March 20 for protesting against the lethal invasion of Ukraine, according to data from monitoring group OVD-Info.”
Switching stickers…
Alexandra has not denied switching stickers on products in the supermarket. However, she argues that the charges and subsequent punishment–being put in a detention centre for the small act–are excessive. If she’s found guilty, she faces ten years in prison and a fine of three million rubles.
Considering how hard it has been for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to be released from Russian detention after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage, it’s going to be much harder for the Russian people, including Alexandra, to be set free when they are not defended by their home country.
Alexandra being lesbian (or bisexual in a same-sex relationship) makes harsh treatment in detention and the trial much more likely. Less than a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, the US sent a letter to the UN, warning that Russia has formulated a “kill list” of people to attack, murder and/or detain in camps “if” it invades the country.
The Russian government is equally hostile to gay Russians, too. In fact, Police in Chechnya, a Russian republic, carry out rounds of “unlawful detentions, beatings, and humiliation of men they presume to be gay or bisexual,” according to HRW.
Alexandra and Sonia have been in a relationship for five years. Sonia told Insider that she has been sending and receiving short letters with Alexandra, through a lawyer.
“I feel joy whenever I get a letter from Sasha, and I keep them, and they always read them very often,” Subbotina said. “But, really, she often writes very sad things, and it’s difficult to read, and I miss her very much.”
