They shouted their opposition by the thousands during the first days of the war. But since then, the Russian repressive machine has done its work. While the Russian army annihilates Ukraine, the regime of Vladimir Putin crushes what remains of freedom of expression in the land of the tsars. Some Russian dissidents, however, defy the prohibitions, at the risk of their safety. The duty discussed with some of them or with their relatives. First portrait of a series of four.
Up to 10 years in prison. This is the sentence that Alexandra Skochilenko incurs for having replaced a price tag in a supermarket in Saint Petersburg with an anti-war message.
While the vast majority of the thousands of Russians arrested so far face administrative charges, the 31-year-old artist is among dozens of people facing harsher criminal charges for resisting the invasion of Ukraine.
Since April 11, Alexandra — nicknamed Sasha — has been detained pending trial. A worrying situation for those close to her, especially since the young woman is a lesbian and suffers from celiac disease and bipolarity, which jeopardizes her health and safety in prison.
“We lived a normal life until February 24 [date du début de l’invasion russe], says his spouse Sonia Subbotina, 29, joined in his apartment in Saint Petersburg. But when the war broke out, everything changed. »
When Vladimir Putin ordered the assault on the neighboring country, the two young women immediately went out to demonstrate. Like many Russians, Sasha had close ties to Ukraine, says Sonia.
“She has friends in kyiv who called her from a metro station where they had taken refuge. She was very worried about them. A stifling anguish that she also felt for Ukrainian children to whom she had become attached after having taught them scriptwriting and acting in a summer camp two years ago. “She couldn’t stay silent. »
Symbolic actions
After participating in a second protest, Sasha was arrested and spent a night in jail. “Afterwards, due to the large number of arrests and police violence, people looked for other ways to express their political opinions,” explains Sonia.
One of the ideas that emerged on online forums was to change price tags in grocery stores to disseminate — if not prohibited — information about Russia’s war. “Sasha wanted to participate in this action and she placed five labels in a supermarket,” admits Sonia. One of them bore the inscription: “The Russian army shelled an art school in Mariupol where about 400 people had taken refuge to escape the shelling. »
The young woman, who had been filmed by surveillance cameras, was denounced by a supermarket customer and then arrested. According to Sonia, Sasha is the first citizen in the country to be criminally charged for spreading “false information” about the Russian military, under the repressive new law passed in early March.
As part of the criminal investigation, the Russian authorities are seeking to demonstrate that Sasha is part of the Eighth Initiative Group, a feminist organization in Saint Petersburg, and that her action was guided by “political hatred”.
“But this is not the case, assures Sonia. She made this gesture individually and she did it out of humanism and sympathy for the people in Ukraine. »
In view of the trial, the Russian authorities will carry out a linguistic expertise to determine whether the message posted by Sasha to denounce the attack in Mariupol contained “political hatred”. “We expect poor results from this expertise commissioned by the investigators, says Sonia. On our side, our lawyer asked two independent experts who both confirmed that there was no political hatred there. »
Discrimination
At the same time, Sasha’s state of health continues to deteriorate in prison, deplores his wife. “The fact that she suffers from celiac disease is not taken into consideration, despite the medical documents we have provided,” she said. A gluten-free diet is not provided to Sasha, which can lead to serious consequences for her health, says Sonia. Sasha is currently suffering from significant stomach and heart pain.
The young woman passed medical tests in prison, but her lawyers have still not had access to the results, denounces Sonia. Sasha was transferred on June 8 to a psychiatric hospital to be evaluated for her bipolar disorder.
But since the two women are not married (Russian law prohibits same-sex unions), Sonia has been refused any visits since the beginning of Sasha’s incarceration. And the investigators told her that she will have to testify at the trial of her spouse. “If we were married the way we wanted, they wouldn’t have been able to get me to testify against her,” says Sonia, who has been in a relationship with Sasha for five years.
In a country hostile to sexual diversity, Sasha’s time in prison is also punctuated by discrimination and harassment, says Sonia. A prison guard would have made sexual gestures towards her, she mentions, adding that her lover also suffers harassment from fellow prisoners. “The investigator also told her that she should find a husband and take care of children rather than [des actions politiques]. »
In this authoritarian Russia, Sonia says she is fully aware that she too could be arrested, especially for her speeches to the media. “I’m scared when I’m alone at home and I hear footsteps in the hallway,” she breathes. But as long as Sasha is in prison, and her life and health are in danger, I don’t want to leave the country. »
Political repression, ever greater and more violent, cannot be kept silent, she asserts. “In our country, the words ‘No to war’ have become an extremist message for which you can be sent to prison,” she denounces. There is no more freedom of expression in Russia. »
With Vlada Nebo