Russia: All remaining human rights defenders, journalists and anti-war critics convicted in sham trials must be released, say UN experts

GENEVA – UN experts* today welcomed the release of 16 prisoners detained in Russia, while sounding the alarm about up to 1372 more detainees held on politically motivated charges in the country. The experts called on Russian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those imprisoned for peacefully expressing their political views and opposing the war against Ukraine. They issued the following joint statement:

“We welcome the release of Evan Gershkovich, Vladimir Kara-Murza, Lilia Chanysheva, Ilya Yashin, Andrey Pivovarov, Alsu Kurmasheva, Oleg Orlov, Sasha Skochilenko, and others in the biggest prisoner exchange since the Cold War, involving Russia, Belarus, the USA, Poland, Norway, Slovenia, Türkiye and Germany, on 1 August 2024.

Most of the released were arbitrarily detained for peacefully opposing the Russian government and its war against Ukraine through human rights advocacy, journalism, artistic expression, and political activism. Their detentions violated international human rights standards and reflected an intensified crackdown on dissent and free expression in Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva were sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Russia for simply carrying out their professional duties. Pulitzer Prize-winning author and political figure, Vladimir Kara-Murza, and fellow opposition activists Ilya Yashin and Andrey Pivovarov, were detained for being active members of the Russian political opposition and raising their voices against the war on Ukraine. Lilia Chanysheva and two of her colleagues were detained on charges of “organising extremist activities” for their work at the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) headed by Alexey Navalny. Oleg Orlov, leading Russian human rights defender and co-chair of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Memorial, was targeted for his human rights work and his vocal opposition against the war, while artist Sasha Skochilenko was convicted for replacing price tags at a supermarket with anti-war stickers. Also, three German-Russian dual citizens included in the exchange were convicted on charges of treason, in court hearings held behind closed doors and the evidence used against them was never made public.

We share the joy and relief of families and loved ones of the released activists, who are now free and no longer subjected to brutal treatment in detention. However, we remain deeply concerned about the 700 to 1372 other political prisoners still detained in Russia on fabricated or politically motivated charges. Their continued imprisonment exposes them to the risk of further human rights violations, including torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearance as well as reinforces the urgent need for Russia to respect human rights and fulfil its international obligations.

The Russian government must immediately and unconditionally release all remaining political prisoners.

We also urge Russia to repeal legislation restricting freedom of expression, including laws against “spreading fake news about the actions of the Russian armed forces”, “discrediting the actions of the Russian armed forces” and “extremism.” It is crucial to amend criminal laws and prevent the misuse of national security laws to silence dissent and target opposition figures, human rights defenders and journalists reporting truthfully on the war against Ukraine and critical of the Russian government.”