LONDON — Over 100 Russian doctors have signed an open letter calling for the immediate release of an artist and musician who was sentenced to seven years in prison for placing antiwar messages on supermarket price tags.
The letter, addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, emphasizes concerns about the health of 33-year-old artist Sasha Skochilenko, warning that imprisonment could have a “significant impact” on her well-being. The doctors highlight Skochilenko’s diagnosis of severe chronic diseases that require specialized medical care and a specific diet, expressing indignation at the perceived injustice of the verdict.
Skochilenko was convicted by a Russian court on Thursday. She was arrested in her hometown of St. Petersburg in April 2022 and charged with disseminating false information about the military through her messages opposing the war in Ukraine.
One of the replaced price tags read, “The Russian army bombed an arts school in Mariupol. Some 400 people were hiding in it from the shelling,” while another stated, “Russian conscripts are being sent to Ukraine. Lives of our children are the price of this war.”
Skochilenko did not deny but rejected the accusation of spreading knowingly false information after a customer at the supermarket reported the slogans to authorities.
Skochilenko’s arrest occurred approximately a month after authorities passed a law that essentially criminalizes any public expression deviating from the official Kremlin line about the war. This legislation has been utilized in a extensive crackdown on opposition figures, human rights activists, and ordinary citizens critical of the Kremlin, resulting in many receiving lengthy prison terms.
Given that Skochilenko spent nearly 19 months in custody before her trial, her seven-year sentence will be reduced by over two years, as each day served in pre-trial detention counts as 1.5 days of time served in a regular penal colony.
However, Skochilenko has encountered challenges during her time in custody due to health issues including a congenital heart defect, bipolar disorder, and celiac disease, according to her lawyers and partner.
Russia’s prominent human rights group, Memorial, a co-winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, has declared Skochilenko a political prisoner.
According to OVD-Info, a rights group that monitors political arrests and provides legal aid, a total of 19,834 Russians were arrested between Feb. 24, 2022, when the war in Ukraine began, and late October of this year for speaking out or demonstrating against the war.
