Russian court sentences writer Boris Akunin in absentia to 14 years in prison — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Akunin, whose real name is Grigory Chkhartishvili, is a Russian-Georgian writer famous for his Erast Fandorin novels that have been published in dozens of languages around the world.
The charge of aiding terrorism relates to a conversation between Akunin and well-known Russian pranksters Vovan and Lexus, in which the writer encouraged Russian servicemen to switch sides and fight for Ukraine, and called a Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge a 'clear and direct way' to bring the realities of war home to 'stupid people'.
The charge of justifying terrorism related to an online post where Akunin said he was for 'revolution, as there is no other way to get rid of a dictatorship', while the third and final charge concerned 'at least 33' Telegram posts to which he had failed to add a notification that the material was by a 'foreign agent', as required by Russian law.
Prior to the sentence being handed down on Monday, Akunin wrote that he had taken no part in the trial. 'I don't recognise their court. I have not authorised any lawyer to represent me … and have not been part of this circus in any way.' After the announcement of his sentence, he joked with readers that he would next post in 2043, factoring in the four years subsequent to his release where he would be banned from administering internet websites.
Rosfinmonitoring, the Russian financial watchdog, added Akunin, who now lives in London, having left Russia in protest at the annexation of Crimea, to its list of 'terrorists and extremists' in December 2023. The Russian Justice Ministry declared him a 'foreign agent' the following month.
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Russian man sentenced to 3 years in prison for donating €16 to Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation — Novaya Gazeta Europe
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Novaya Gazeta Europe
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One October morning in 2023, Olga Leonova's phone rang in the central Russian city of Dzerzhinsk. It was her mother-in-law calling from Ukraine to ask why her son, who normally called her every morning, hadn't been in touch and wasn't answering his phone. Olga said she'd check, and assured her that he probably either had no reception or his battery was dead. What she didn't know was that at that very moment, her husband, 57-year-old Gennady Artemenko, was being beaten up nearby in the back of a van by agents of Russia's notorious Federal Security Service (FSB), and that he wouldn't be calling his mother any time soon. Almost two years have passed since then, during which Olga has repeatedly assured her mother-in-law that her son is fine, but chose to leave Russia and has been stuck in a European refugee camp where his processing has been achingly slow due to him holding the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Russian military. 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Photo from family archive Returning to an independent Ukraine, Gennady initially attempted to find work with the Ukrainian military, but after being told that there were too many artillerymen and too little demand, he decided to try his luck in Russia. There, he was able to find work in his field of expertise, and was posted to the Russian Far East, and later to Tajikistan, where his service earned him early retirement. At the age of just 34, having attained the rank of lieutenant colonel, Artemenko left the army and moved to Dzerzhinsk where he became a reservist. 'All our friends and all the neighbours we'd known for at least 10 years dropped us when Gena was arrested.' 'We would go to visit Gena's mother in Ukraine every year,' Olga says. 'My mother-in-law had already buried her husband and daughter and lived for her son.' But in 2014, the war in Donbas began. Artemenko, a Russian citizen, nevertheless had an overseas Ukrainian certificate intended for those of Ukrainian origin who are citizens of other countries. According to a Ukrainian law signed in 2004, certificate holders enjoy almost all the same rights in Ukraine as citizens. On one of their annual visits to Ukraine, Olga even managed to track down relatives she had in the country's northern Chernihiv region. 'My cousin and her family know about my situation and are very supportive. The only family I have in Russia are my parents. All our friends and all the neighbours we'd known for at least 10 years dropped us when Gena was arrested,' Olga says. Gennady Artemenko. Photo from family archive The Gang of Three Olga woke up on the morning of 24 February 2022 to find her husband sitting with his head in his hands. When she asked him what had happened, he replied: 'They're bombing Kyiv.' He tried to call his mother, but was unable to get through. 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Photo: Civil Force / Telegram Running out of time The trial lasted for four days, after which the court convicted Artemenko on both counts and handed him a sentence of 18 years in a maximum-security penal colony and a fine of 360,000 rubles (€3,900). 'There have already been over 1,000 treason and espionage cases since the start of the war,' Smirnov told Novaya Gazeta Europe. 'The defendants are mostly not public figures, but completely ordinary people who for various reasons at some point or other have found themselves in the FSB's crosshairs.' 'I believe Gennady Artemenko came under surveillance when he attempted to seek permission to enter Ukraine. … That's a trigger for the FSB. They might have thought he was planning to commit treason by changing sides,' Smirnov continued. Gennady and Olga in Kyiv, holding a Ukrainian flag. 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Olga now lives outside Russia where she works as a nanny and cleaner, but she hopes she'll soon be allowed to travel to Ukraine to see and reassure her mother-in-law. To this day, Lydia Vasilyevna knows nothing about the fate of her son, and Olga puts on a brave face every day when she calls her to say: 'Gena is fine, Lydia Vasilyevna! He just can't contact you right now as he's in a refugee camp. But he will soon. Trust me.'
Novaya Gazeta Europe
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