Persecution and censorship in Russia keep international organizations on alert

The third arrest of a well-known group of street musicians over their protest messages has raised concern among international organizations. Warnings about authoritarianism against dissent have been revived. 

Ideological persecution in Russia is a subject of debate with a long history; acts of punishment and censorship do not cease in the territory governed by Vladimir Putin. Over the past week the issue returned to the international agenda following the arrest of street musicians who were singing songs against the war on Ukraine. This is the third time the artist group Stoptime has been detained by Russian security forces over the anti-war content of their songs. Censorship does not let up in a country that has already shown its authoritarian character toward artists, as well as media outlets, political activists and the press.

It was the young Aleksandr Orlov and Diana Loginova, both members of Stoptime, who were arrested in Saint Petersburg for the third time over the content of their songs. The news traveled the world and drew reactions from human rights organizations everywhere. Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement warning about the possible charges that could be brought against both artists merely for singing songs against the war.

On behalf of AI, regional representative Denis Krivosheev spoke out about the repeated “repressive laws” the Russian government has enacted in recent years, to the point that society has come to accept as a “technicality” the fact of facing arrest and prison for expressing an opinion contrary to the government. To cite just one example, Loginova was fined 30,000 rubles under the charge of “discrediting the Russian armed forces.” The persecution of street artists has been repeated in regions such as Yekaterinburg and Perm.

The case recalls past experiences of musical artists and artists from other fields who were censored and persecuted by the Putin government. One of the examples that gained the most attention in recent years was that of the musical group Pussy Riot, a collective of feminist women activists whose artistic content generated strong controversy in Russia. In 2012, Pussy Riot was sentenced to two years in prison after staging a performance in front of a cathedral. This year, five of its members were sentenced again for criticizing the military deployment in Ukraine.

Hostility toward artists on the part of the Russian authorities has taken many forms, especially with regard to anti-war messages. Criticism of the military deployment is a recurring theme for many creators. Among the most notable cases is that of the art collective Yav, known for its murals on dilapidated buildings with anti-war messages in the context of the war on Ukraine. Another well-known case is that of Yelena Osipova, a 77-year-old woman who has devoted herself to painting pictures and staging interventions in Saint Petersburg as acts of protest against the government, which has resulted in fines and arrests. Another example is the graffiti artist known as Zoom, whose street paintings reflect a sharp critique of authoritarianism.

Persecution of dissent

In 2023, the Russian courts sentenced local artist Aleksandra Skochilenko to 7 years in prison for spreading “false information” about the country’s armed forces, one of the charges most frequently used to punish activists, communicators and artists for acts of protest. This trend also extends to the world of the media, as shown by the case of Mikhail Afanasyev, who reported in his articles on military personnel who refused to go and fight in Ukraine. Similar was the case of reporter María Ponomarenko, sentenced to six years in prison for covering an attack.

The harassment of journalists, communicators and activists of various kinds has driven many people into exile, and has also led them to take up clandestine activities or simply to self-censor in order to avoid prosecution. 

Amnesty International itself was censored when it was declared an “undesirable organization” in Russia. The decision taken by the Kremlin was denounced by leaders of the international organization as a maneuver to “silence dissent” and “criminalize” its activities.   

The decision was made under the legal framework in force in Russia since 2015, which allows the government to arbitrarily ban foreign entities and criminalize their activities. At the time, the Russian government accused AI of promoting “Russophobic” ideas and content. Specifically, the accusations were based on the humanitarian organization’s work on the state of freedom of expression in the country, as well as its activities regarding the war in Ukraine. According to AI, the legal justification for this decision contradicted international statutes.

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia