Alexandra Skotsilenko is being prosecuted for “spreading false information” about the Russian military and inciting “political hatred”, an offense introduced into the criminal code after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Alexandra Skotsilenko is at risk of being sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Russian artist was arrested and accused of changing the price tags in a supermarket with messages against the war in Ukraine. Her trial began today in St. Petersburg.
Several independent Russian media showed photos of Skotsilenko smiling broadly as she entered the courtroom, handcuffed and escorted by two police officers, to the applause of her supporters.
The 32-year-old woman is being prosecuted for “spreading false information” about the Russian military and inciting “political hatred,” an offense introduced into the criminal code after the invasion of Ukraine. According to the indictment, he pasted “papers containing deliberately false information” on the prices of products at a supermarket on March 31. She was arrested ten days later, on April 11, after her home was searched.
Today the prosecutor said, according to the independent Mediazona, that the cards contained estimates of the number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine at the beginning of the war, or how many civilians were killed in the bombing of a theater during the siege of Mariupol.
Skotsilenko admits that she placed the papers but denies her guilt by assuring that they did not contain false information.
“Where is the crime in Stop the War?he asked the prosecutor, according to independent media SOTA.
Her supporters say that during her detention she suffered health problems as she was unable to follow the diet imposed in her case because she is intolerant to gluten.
Since the start of the war in late February, thousands have been fined and hundreds of people sentenced to prison for criticizing the invasion of Ukraine. Two Muscovite dissidents, Ilya Yashin and Alexei Gorinov, were recently sentenced to 9 and 7 years in prison respectively on charges of “spreading false information” about the Russian military.
Skotsilenko’s trial will continue on January 20.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
