Copyright © 2024 Euromaidanpress.com

The work of Euromaidan Press is supported by the International Renaissance Foundation

When referencing our materials, please include an active hyperlink to the Euromaidan Press material and a maximum 500-character extract of the story. To reprint anything longer, written permission must be acquired from [email protected].

Privacy and Cookie Policies.

Russia now has more political prisoners than USSR did in 1976

political prisoners
At least 379 political prisoners are currently persecuted by the Russian Federation according to the Memorial Human Rights center, one of the most authoritative human rights NGOs in Russia. Photo: memohrc.org
Russia now has more political prisoners than USSR did in 1976

Two years ago, Russian activist Vladimir Kara-Murza pointed out that Vladimir Putin’s Russia had more political prisoners than the USSR did when Andrey Sakharov began calling attention to them in the USSR in 1976.

In the period since Kara-Murza made that calculation, Ellen Leafstedt of St. Antony’s College at Oxford says, the numbers of political prisoners in Russia have only increased and indeed continue to rise. In an article for the Riddle portal, she suggests that it is important to recognize their diversity.

One can divide them into two categories, “People who land in prison for public expression of their political convictions and those who represent minorities who are deprived of their freedom for religious affiliations and convictions.” The latter category is the more numerous, Leafstedt says.

Among the most numerous of the second category are those charged with terrorism for their affiliation with groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir. Rapidly growing in number are Jehovah’s Witnesses whose denomination the Russian Supreme Court declared to be an extremist organization.

A third category involves those who can be charged with extremism and terrorism for political rather than religious reasons, people in groups like the New Greatness and the Sevastopol diversionists. And a fourth includes any political activist the Kremlin decides is inconvenient if left at large. Aleksey Navalny is the most prominent of these.

Prior to the 2018 World Cup that was hosted by Russia, the European Greens launched a website calling to boycott the event because of the situation with political prisoners in Russia. At that time, there were 158 such persons; now, there are 379. Snapshot from the website

Not only are political prisoners more numerous in Russia than they were at the end of Soviet times but the authorities consider that they must blacken their reputations before they bring them to trial rather than doing both only at the same time, Leafstedt points out. That makes it more difficult for their supporters to launch campaigns in their defense.

Ellen Leafstedt of St. Antony’s College at Oxford

The St. Antony’s scholar concludes by suggesting that

“in the final analysis, not all political prisoners must be martyrs or even innocent to deserve basic human rights. Even those prisoners who are not innocent are often persecuted not so much for the crimes they have committed as for their public activities.”

Given that Russian courts rarely return not guilty verdicts – that happens in fewer than one percent of all cases – many who aren’t listed as political prisoners by human rights organizations nonetheless have the right to claim the title as well.

Read also:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

Please leave your suggestions or corrections here



    Euromaidan Press

    We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!

    Related Posts