News

On April 25, 2024, the 1st District Military Court in a visiting session in Chita sentenced the antifascist Alexander Snezhkov to 6 years, and the antifascist Lyubov Lizunova to 3.5 years in prison. Snezhkov was found guilty under the article on vandalism motivated by political hostility because of a graffiti "Death to the regime". Both were convicted under articles on calls to extremism and terrorism. 

The Solidarity zone team learned that Rouslan Sidiki had been tortured after his detention almost as soon as the independent lawyer began work. However, it was important to obtain documentary evidence of the mutilation that was observed when he entered the SIZO (pre-trial detention centre). Now, some months later, his lawyer Igor Popovsky has now managed obtain that document.

Welcome to our latest news compilation on imprisoned anarchists, featuring the rescue of Denis Kozak, the release of Lev Skoryakin, the new sentence for Azat Mifthakov, the ongoing case of Yuri Mikheev and the significant case of the Chita anarchists.

We have stated from the very start that the beginning of a full-scale war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 is an imperialist aggression of the Russian state. That is still true.

According to Solidarity Zone, the lawyer Igor Popovsky visited Ruslan Siddiqui in the Moscow detention centre SIZO-5 and received a confirmation from him that the report by TASS about the anarchist's desire to go to fight on the side of the Russian Federation was a lie.

The anarchist Ruslan Siddiqui is accused of attacking the Dyagilevo military aerodrome, using quadcopters, and of damaging railway lines (in Ryazan region) that were used to transport military equipment and fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine.

Anti-War Human Rights Initiative Solidarity zone launching a fundraiser to pay for the next six months’ work by Ruslan’s lawyer. For six months’ legal work we need to raise €4290.

Yuri Mikheev is an anti-fascist from Lobnya, just outside Moscow. On 10 November 2023, he and a friend were detained on the territory of a military unit in the Moscow region. The FSB accused the young men of planning to set fire to military equipment. A case was initiated under criminal articles regarding "preparation for sabotage". Yura faces up to 10 years.

In January, the Father Frost against Putin-festival was organized in Helsinki for the ninth time. The first festival was organized in 2014, but there were no festivals in 2021 and 2022 due to border closures and Covid.

Late last year, opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who had been sentenced to 19 years in prison for a number of trumped-up cases, was sent to a special regime penal colony in the settlement of Kharp in the Far North, one of the most hard-to-reach colonies. This region colonies are famous for its harsh regime and torture of prisoners.

Translation from the site freedomnews.org.uk. Original in Russian here.

~ NinaT

The compilation of music in support of prisoners. In 2022, punks and anti-fascists from Siberia and the Urals were tortured by police to fabricate a case. They are accused of terrorism, but they did not use any violence. Confessions were extracted with torture of electric shocks, strangulation with a bag, beatings and threats of rape with a mop. Antifascists face huge prison sentences

Recently, an alleged Palestinian anarchist organization ““Fauda”” (“Chaos” – a name coinciding with Netflix’s popular series) has gained popularity among Western leftist activists. This happened thanks to “Fauda’s” intense activity on Internet.

The 10th anniversary of “Father Frost against Putin” festival is approaching, so it is time for a throwback to what happened last January. Then the festival was held for the first time in three years. Initially the border was closed by Covid, then by the war in Ukraine, but in the end it was decided to continue organizing the festival in Helsinki, just under new conditions.

Where: Lepakkomies, Helsinginkatu 1
Entry €12 (standard) or €20 (support price)

Timetable:
8 PM Doors
8.30 Pavel Semchenko:

"10 reasons to become a dictator", audiovisual performance

8:45 Cave Moss

Laid-back but energetic alternative rock from Helsinki
Aatu Kovanen : guitar & vocals
Iikka Puolakka : bass & vocals
Ahti Kulo : synths, percussions and vocals
Kalle Kauranen : drums

9:30 Asko Keränen

We call on all those who are not indifferent to support the fundraising campaign to pay for the lawyers of Roman and other defendants of the "Tyumen case". Today, 1st of January is the last day you may donate!

Six anarchists from Russia have been held in pre-trial detention for a year on spurious charges of creating a "terrorist community". According to Russian law, our comrades face a total of 5 to 15 years of imprisonment for the charged articles, and 15 to 30 years of life imprisonment for organizing or leading a "terrorist community". The main proof of guilt is a confession given under torture.

The last day of the fundraising campaign for Tyumen case is January 1st. Unless goal is reached, none of the money is delivered for our comrades.

In Father Frost against Putin -festival, Helsinki 13th of January 2023 7:30 at Oranssi (Kaasutehtaankatu 1, building 11). 

We will screen the movie about participants of anti-fascist and anarchist groups during the anti-Putin protests of 2011-2012.

Nikita is an anti-fascist from Surgut, a straight-A student and a vegetarian, very intelligent and always faithful to principles. Nick dreams of becoming a surgeon, and studied at Surgut University, but dropped out because of the inability of the university to organize the educational process, because of bureaucratic delays and imperfections of the education system, which he could not put up with. He studied a thousand books on physiology, history, politics, and art. Nick initiated the creation of a public libertarian library, his first non-profit educational project.

Festival program is now published. 

Father Frost against Putin -festival was organised first time 10 years ago. From 2014 to 2020 festival was organised seven times, and Russian grassroots organisations told about their activities and networked between each other. 

The anarchist Ruslan Siddiqui is accused of causing an explosion, on a railway used to transport military equipment and fuel to the Russian army in Ukraine. The result was the derailment of 19 carriages of a goods train in the Ryazan region. There were no casualties, although the driver’s assistant sustained non-serious injuries. Russian Railways assessed the damage at €300.000. Ruslan has been charged with committing a terrorist act, and possession of explosive material.