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Russia: Criticism of Ukraine war threatened with up to ten years in prison amnesty int.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL | As Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, the country is also waging a fight on the “home front” against those who criticize the war and the war crimes committed by Russian forces. Dozens of people in Russia face up to XNUMX years or more in prison for spreading "false information about the armed forces," a new crime created specifically to target war critics.

The persecuted include students, lawyers, artists and politicians. The number of those being prosecuted under various articles of the Penal Code for their criticism of the war is reported to have exceeded 200. One of them is journalist Marina Ovsyannikova, who became widely known when she wrote an anti-war report on Russian television -Hold up the poster.

Amnesty International is releasing today in a brief report the stories of ten people currently being arrested for their public criticism of the war are imprisoned. In the statement, the human rights organization calls on the Russian authorities to release these people immediately and unconditionally and to repeal the new laws and all other laws incompatible with the right to freedom of expression. In addition, Amnesty calls once again on the international community to "use all possibilities of international and regional mechanisms to ensure an effective investigation into the war crimes of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine and to hold those responsible to account". A crucial element in this is the support of those in Russia actively opposed to Russian aggression in Ukraine.

"The voices that are being raised against the war and the abuses perpetrated by the Russian armed forces must not be silenced," Amnesty International said in the statement. “Freedom of access to information and expression of opinions, including dissenting ones, is a crucial element in building an effective anti-war movement in Russia. By shutting down critical voices, the Russian authorities are attempting to bolster and sustain public support for their war of aggression in Ukraine.”

BACKGROUND: Serious interference with the right to freedom of expression

Russia's invasion of Ukraine met with widespread criticism at home. Tens of thousands of Russians protested peacefully in the streets and took to social media to criticize the aggression. Russian authorities responded with a crackdown on protesters and critics, reportedly arresting more than 16.000 people for violating the country's unduly restrictive rules on public gatherings. The authorities also cracked down on the few independent media outlets that remained, forcing many to close their offices, leave the country, or limit their coverage of the war and instead cite official Russian reports. Human rights NGOs have been labeled “foreign agents” or “undesirable”, have had their websites arbitrarily closed or blocked, and have faced other forms of harassment.

The ban on the disclosure of information about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces constitutes an interference with the right to freedom of expression, including the right to seek, receive and impart information, guaranteed, inter alia, by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the ECHR and the Russian constitution is guaranteed. While the Russian authorities may restrict these rights, such restrictions must be necessary and proportionate to protect the existence of the Russian nation, its territorial integrity or political independence from violence or threats of violence. The blanket criminalization of criticism of the armed forces does not meet this requirement.

The entire public statement can be found at www.amnesty.org

Photo / Video: Amnesty.

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