Alexander Scotchenko was sentenced to pre-trial detention despite health problems. The Russian authorities are trying to suppress the anti-war movement.
Changing supermarket price tags to anti-war messages can take up to 5 to 10 years in prison for a St. Petersburg artist and musician.
Alexander or Sasha Scotchenko is one of the people indicted under the drastic “false news” law that came into force in Russia in March.
The law prohibits the dissemination of false information about the Russian armed forces. For false information, the authorities count virtually anything that is contrary to the official truth of those in power. War must not be said to be a war, but a special military operation.
Sasha Scotchenko is accused of spreading false information “motivated by political hatred”. It can mean up to 5 to 10 years in prison.
The actions of the authorities seem disproportionate, friend of Scotchenko Anastasia Williams ponders.
– Crime and punishment are disproportionate. First of all, a crime is not even a crime, it is an expression of opinion. The punishment is really harsh. Someone could kill another person and get a lower sentence, Williams, who lives in the U.S., says in an interview remotely.
– Many Russians see that it is a government message sent through Sasha.
Police tracked down the trouble without sparing the sticker glue
Aleksandra Skotšilenko has been writing music since she was 13 years old. He is also a visual artist and makes comics and cartoons, among other things.
When she was diagnosed with a mild bipolar disorder, she wrote a book about her depression to share information about mental health problems.
– Aleksandra is a very caring, very creative person, Williams says.
– He deeply appreciates human life. He is a humanist. I would not call him a real political activist. He cares about freedom and human rights as an artist.
Aleksandra was unable to be a passive bystander when false information was spread about the war, Williams says.
“He just felt like he couldn’t just look to the side when so many people were brainwashed and given the wrong information,” Williams says.
After the start of the war, Scotchenko held concerts, the so-called jams, for peace. He also took part in an anti-war demonstration and was fined for it.
Scotchilenko himself characterized (switch to another service) since that he happens to represent everything that the Putin regime cannot tolerate: artistic creation, pacifism, gender minorities, feminism, and humanism.
The prison sentence is threatened due to the events of the end of March. At the Perekrostok supermarket in St. Petersburg, product price tags had been exchanged for anti-war messages.
The retiree involved in the deal took the matter to police on March 31st. Police launched an investigation: videos of trade surveillance cameras were examined, staff were questioned.
As Scotchenko did not live at the address he had registered with, police pressured his friend to call him. There he was arrested on 11 April.
Scotchilenko himself later wrote in a public letter that the day of the interrogations was worse than all the days later in captivity. Investigators pressured and insulted him. He heard unclean comments about his appearance, apartment, lifestyle and friends and a lot of sexist and openly homophobic statements.
– Of course, all this was not part of their job, but was the result of a situation in which five aggressive and not very well-educated men gain unlimited power over a woman they have captured by force, Scotchenko wrote about pre-trial detention (moving to another service).
At the trial on 13 April, he was remanded in custody until 31 May.
Women are at the forefront of the anti-war movement
– There is a saying in Russia that war does not have a woman’s face. However, Russia’s anti-war movement has had a woman’s face, Williams says.
In the early days of the war in Ukraine, for example, a group called the Feminist Anti-War Resistance was formed. It has distributed leaflets and made protests like the price tags exchanged.
The group’s channel in the Telegram messaging service had 26,000 followers in March.
Williams believes the authorities are working to make Sasha an example: If a young woman with a vulnerable, chronic health problem can be punished so severely, it sends a signal that not the slightest protest is worth making.
Dozens of supporters arrived at the first hearing in St. Petersburg court.
– I did not expect such support that so many people will be present, Scotchenko told the Bumaga online publication in St. Petersburg before the trial began.
– I am believed here that I will do something wrong if I speak up for peace, but the support of the people shows that this is not the case. It is the most important.
The judge declared the trial closed at the request of prosecutors. The reason was to protect the identity of the person who brought the case to the attention of the police, but Williams believes the real reason was that the public was so strongly in support of Scotchilenko.
The court held that Scotchenko might try to escape or influence witnesses.
Concern for health in captivity
The judge did not take into account that Scotchenko had suffered from bipolar disorder and was suffering from celiac disease.
Friends are worried about Scotchenko’s health. They have collected names petition (go to another service), so that Scotchenko could be released or even placed under house arrest while awaiting trial. By Friday night, more than 109,000 signatures had been collected.
A gluten-free diet is not available in pre-trial detention and supporters have not always been able to provide him with packages. Scotchenko’s lawyer has said he has already had a stroke in prison because of this.
There are also fears about how Scotchenko’s mental health will endure in long captivity.
“Without any medication, under this psychological pressure, it’s very dangerous,” Williams says.
Scotchenko hoped his case would not distract from the main thing: the war in Ukraine continues.
– Most of all, I am sorry that my victim story draws attention from the real issue and the real victims of the fighting in Ukraine. I just want and hope they stop. It is not a shame for him to sit in prison, Scotchenko wrote in an open letter about the remand prison.