Russian artist Alexandra Skochilenko is facing up to eight years in prison after protesting inside a supermarket over Moscow's war on Ukraine.
The incident occurred last year when the artist swapped supermarket price tags for statements criticizing Russia's military invasion of Kyiv. The 33-year-old defendant has been detained since her April arrest last year.
Russian Artist Facing Eight Years in Prison
Russian officials took Skochilenko into custody for changing labels in a Saint Petersburg supermarket with messages about Moscow's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. An independent media outlet cited a journalist saying that the prosecution was asking the defendant for eight years of jail time.
The artist and musician are known mostly by her diminutive Sasha and is facing accusations of spreading disinformation about the Russian army. The legislation was adopted after Moscow deployed troops to Ukraine in February 2022 and carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison. As per the Bangkok Post, it has been used widely to stifle criticism of the conflict.
The defendant has been on trial despite suffering from several health conditions, including celiac disease and a congenital heart defect. The artist's mother, Nadezhda Skochilenko, said last month that a "real prison term would just be a catastrophe for Sasha."
Mediazona, an independent website, also published a photograph of Skochilenko in the defendant's box, wearing a colorful T-shirt with a peace sign. It also reported that German diplomats and some cultural figures were present during Skochilenko's hearing.
The defendant's price tag messages included descriptions of people hiding from Russian bombing in Ukraine's Mariupol as Moscow introduced a ban on criticism of its offensive. Officials later arrested the artist after a shopper reported the price tags in the supermarket to law enforcement personnel.
Protesting Against the War in Ukraine
On Wednesday, state prosecutor Alexander Gladyshev asked the judge overseeing the case to sentence Skochilenko to eight years in prison. According to Reuters, he also asked for the judge to ban the defendant from using the internet for three years.
The prosecution had previously accused the defendant of committing what they described as a serious crime out of her supposed political hatred towards the Russian Federation. Skochilenko denies the charges against her as she is being tried on the charge of knowingly spreading fake information about the Russian army.
Russia has continued to tighten its laws on dissent following its invasion of Ukraine, which has led to a deepening crackdown on critics that Moscow views as unacceptably divisive at a time when it is locked in an existential struggle with the West.
Daily court hearings in the last few months have added to the pressure Skochilenko has been under. These included a tight schedule that often prevented her from getting her meals.
There was also one point when the judge had to call an ambulance to the courthouse after the defendant fell ill, telling the court that it was her second straight day without eating any food. During another hearing, she burst into tears after the judge denied her request for a break so that she could have a meal or use the bathroom, said Yahoo News.
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