Artist with Celiac Disease Gets Seven Years in Prison for Protesting Russia's War in Ukraine

Celiac.com 12/04/2023 - Russian artist and musician Sasha Skochilenko has been sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing supermarket price tags with antiwar slogans, sparking concerns about freedom of speech in Russia. 

Skochilenko was arrested in April 2022, in St. Petersburg, on charges of spreading what authorities deemed "false information about the military." She had replaced tiny price tags with messages decrying Russia's invasion of Ukraine, stating facts such as the bombing of an arts school in Mariupol and the deployment of Russian conscripts to Ukraine. Her arrest followed the enactment of a law criminalizing public expression deviating from the official line on the war in Ukraine. The legislation has been widely used to crack down on opposition figures and ordinary citizens critical of the Kremlin, resulting in many receiving lengthy prison terms.

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Skochilenko, aged 33, has not denied replacing the price tags but rejected the allegation of knowingly spreading false information. Instead, she asserted that her intention was to stop the fighting, not to disparage the military. Her lawyer argued that she is a peace-loving person who finds war and the suffering of people unimaginable.

Skochilenko's case is part of a broader crackdown on dissenting voices in Russia. The law criminalizing public expression about the war has been used to target opposition politicians, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens who criticize the government. The legal measures have resulted in numerous individuals receiving lengthy prison sentences.

Skochilenko's supporters view her as a pacifist rather than a terrorist, extremist, or political activist. Despite the verdict, her defense emphasized the absurdity of the case, questioning the imprisonment of individuals for such acts. Russian human rights groups, including the prominent Memorial group, have declared Skochilenko a political prisoner.

Skochilenko has been held in pretrial detention for nearly 19 months, during which she faced health challenges, including a congenital heart defect, bipolar disorder, and celiac disease requiring a gluten-free diet. Her supporters fear that she may not receive adequate dietary and medical care if transferred to a remote penal colony. 

According to OVD-Info, a rights group monitoring political arrests, nearly 20,000 Russians have been arrested for speaking out or demonstrating against the war between February 2022 and late October 2023. The crackdown has resulted in over 750 people facing criminal charges for antiwar stances, with more than 8,100 facing minor charges related to discrediting the army. Stay tuned for more on this and related stories.

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