Aleksandra Skochilenko

Russian artist and musician (born 1990)

Occupations
  • Artist
  • musician

Aleksandra Yuryevna Skochilenko (Russian: Александра Юрьевна Скочиленко; born 13 September 1990), also known as Sasha Skochilenko, is a Russian artist, musician, poet, The Paper's former author, and political prisoner.

Skochilenko was detained on 11 April 2022 for distributing anti-war leaflets in a grocery store.[1] She was charged under Article 207.3 part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for "dissemination of knowingly false information about the armed forces of the Russian Federation." The charge carries a punishment of up to 10 years in prison. In June 2022, Amnesty International declared Skochilenko a prisoner of conscience,[2] and the Memorial human rights organization recognized her as a political prisoner.[3] She was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2022.[4]

On 16 November 2023, the Vasileostrovsky District Court in St. Petersburg sentenced Aleksandra Skochilenko to 7 years in prison under Russia's "fake news" law for replacing grocery store price tags with anti-war messages containing information about civilian deaths during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[5][6][7]

Biography

Skochilenko was born in Leningrad, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Saint Petersburg, Russia). She is an alumna of the Smolny College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Saint Petersburg State University. She is an author of the Book About Depression (2014), which helped destigmatise mental health issues in Russia. She is an open lesbian and her partner has been involved in publicising the course of her criminal case and the conditions of her detention.[8]

Protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Fine

Skochilenko joined several protests against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. At a protest on 3 March 2022 in the centre of Saint Petersburg, she was arrested and detained overnight. She was fined 10,000 rubles.[9]

Arrest and detention

On 31 March 2022, Skochilenko was arrested for "putting fragments of paper in place of price tags, containing information about the use of the Russian armed forces" in a Perekrestok supermarket.[10] The messages attributed to her included information about the Mariupol theatre airstrike on 16 March: "The Russian army bombed an art school in Mariupol where about 400 people were hiding from the shelling."[11] Skochilenko was jailed for eight weeks pending trial, accused of being motivated by "political hatred for Russia".[10]

Under the recently introduced Russian fake news laws, she faced a sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment if found guilty.[10] In a letter from her jail in April 2022, Skochilenko wrote: "It just so happened that I represent everything that the Putin regime is so intolerant of: creativity, pacifism, LGBT, psycho-enlightenment, feminism, humanism, and love for everything bright, ambiguous, unusual."[8] On 30 May, the St. Petersburg District Court extended her pre-trial detention until July in a closed hearing.[12] In early June, she was temporarily transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where staff refused to treat her for abdomen pain she was experiencing and refused to share information about her condition with her lawyer and partner. On 30 June, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs's Centre for Combating Extremism issued a report alleging that Skochilenko was a member of the Eighth Initiative Group, which it deemed a "radical protest feminist group". Skochilenko denied knowledge of the group. Following those claims, the court extended her pre-trial detention until September.[13]

An illustration showing Aleksandra Skochilenko being dragged away by the police

Human rights groups raised concerns about the conditions of her detention, as she suffers from a congenital heart defect, PTSD, and coeliac disease, the last of which requires a gluten-free diet that she has not consistently been allowed access to, and which has caused her significant weight loss and health concerns during her detention.[14] As well, her partner has been denied permission to visit her while she had been under detention.[15] In a July interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Skochilenko further raised concerns about possible mistreatment, saying that she and the other prisoners in her cell had been forced to completely clean the cell three times a day by hand and the television in the cell was restricted to war films and pro-government news about the invasion.[16]

In June 2022, Memorial designated Skochilenko a political prisoner,[17] whereas Amnesty International declared her a prisoner of conscience.[18]

Despite numerous arguments about the critical state of her health made by Skochilenko's defense at the previous hearing, on 7 July 2023, the judge ordered that she remain in pretrial detention until 10 October 2023.[19]

Verdict

On 16 November 2023, she was sentenced in a St. Petersburg court to seven years of imprisonment for replacing supermarket price tags with antiwar slogans in 2022.[20] In her final statement to the court, before the verdict was announced, she told the presiding judge: "Your honour, you have a unique opportunity to show an example to society with your verdict ... You can show how to resolve conflict with the help of words and compassion."[21]

Exhibitions

From March 31 to April 29, 2023, The Koppel Project in London hosted an exhibition titled "SKOCHILENKO: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM".[22] Curated by the Russian Democratic Society,[23] this event showcased her works, known for their poignant and thought-provoking pieces that delve into themes of freedom, expression, and political activism.[24]

References

  1. ^ AFP (13 April 2022). "Russian artist faces jail over peace protest using supermarket price labels". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Amnesty International Declares Russian Price-Tag Artist Prisoner Of Conscience". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  3. ^ ""Мемориал" признал политзаключенной петербургскую художницу Александру Скочиленко". Настоящее Время (in Russian). 3 June 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  4. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Художницу Сашу Скочиленко приговорили к 7 годам колонии по делу об антивоенных ценниках. Без необходимых лекарств и диеты девушка может умереть от остановки сердца". Новая газета Европа. 19 May 1974. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  6. ^ Roth, Andrew (16 November 2023). "Russian artist jailed for seven years over Ukraine war price tag protest". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Russian artist who protested Ukraine war gets 7 years in prison in latest crackdown on free speech". AP News. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b "У меня уже отняли семью. Что мне теперь терять?". Девушка Саши Скочиленко — о жизни после ее задержания и проблемах с передачами ["My family has already been taken away from me. What do I have to lose now?". Sasha Skochilenko's girlfriend – about life after her detention and problems with parcels]. Bumaga (in Russian). 25 April 2022. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Human price carrier". Novaya Gazeta Europe. Translated by Aitmatova, Asia. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Russian artist faces jail over peace protest using supermarket price labels". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  11. ^ "Russian Artist Faces 10 Years in Prison for Protesting War on Price Tags". The Moscow Times. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  12. ^ "Hearing on extension of pre-trial detention of Aleksandra Skochilenko". Autonomous Action. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Russian Federation: Further information: Artist's pretrial detention extended again: Aleksandra Skochilenko". Amnesty International. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  14. ^ Дело Саши Скочиленко о ценниках. День десятый [The Sasha Skochilenko receipt affair. Day 10]. Mediazona (in Russian). 13 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  15. ^ "Russia: Artist Faces up to 10 Years for Anti-War Action". Amnesty International. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  16. ^ "'My Country Thirsts for Blood': Russian Artist, Jailed for War 'Fakes,' Speaks Out from Custody". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  17. ^ "Мемориал" признал политзаключенной петербургскую художницу Александру Скочиленко [Memorial recognised St. Petersburg artist Aleksandra Skochilenko as a political prisoner] (in Russian). Current Time TV. 3 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Amnesty International Declares Russian Price-Tag Artist Prisoner Of Conscience". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  19. ^ Astakhova, Alexandra (7 July 2023). "Sasha Skochilenko Trial: 7 July 2023". The Russian Reader. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  20. ^ Osborn, Andrew (16 November 2023). "Russian artist who staged anti-war protest in supermarket jailed for seven years". Reuters. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  21. ^ "Russia jails artist over anti-war supermarket protest". Deutsche Welle. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Skochilenko: The Price of Freedom | 31 March - 29 April 2023". The Koppel Project. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Jailed Russian artist exhibits in Hampstead police cells". Ham & High. 9 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Sasha Skochilenko and the Unbearable High Price of Freedom". Art Focus Now. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  • v
  • t
  • e
100 Women by BBC in 2022
Politics and educationCulture and sportActivism and advocacy
Lina Abu Akleh · Velmariri Bambari · Tarana Burke · Sanjida Choya · Heidi Crowter · Sandya Eknelygoda · Gohar Eshghi · Cecilia Flores · Geraldina Guerra Garcés · Moud Goba · Women cutting their hair · Gehad Hamdy · Judith Heumann · Jebina Yasmin Islam · Layli · Hadizatou Mani · Oleksandra Matviichuk · Narges Mohammadi · Tamana Zaryab Paryani · Alice Pataxó · Roya Piraei · Yuliia Sachuk · Suvada Selimović · Efrat Tilma · Zhou Xiaoxuan
Health and science
Aye Nyein Thu · Sirisha Bandla · Victoria Baptiste · Niloufar Bayani · Sandy Cabrera Arteaga · Samrawit Fikru · Wegahta Gebreyohannes Abera · Dilek Gürsoy · Sofia Heinonen · Kimiko Hirata · Judy Kihumba · Marie Christina Kolo · Iryna Kondratova · Asonele Kotu · Erika Liriano · Naja Lyberth · Nigar Marf · Monica Musonda · Ifeoma Ozoma · Yuliia Paievska · Jane Rebecca Rigby · Ainura Sagyn · Monica Simpson · Maryna Viazovska · Yana Zinkevych
2021 ← → 2023
Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata
International
  • VIAF
National
  • United States
Other
  • IdRef