SHE OPPOSED THE WAR, NOW SHE FACES PRISON
Aleksandra Skochilenko shared information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Now she is detained in a Russian jail, held in terrible conditions, and facing up to a decade in prison. Take action now and demand her release.
Aleksandra fills her life with music and art. She loves playing the piano, guitar, mandolin, and flute, and hosting jams for anyone who wants to play music together.
Troubled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she decided to do something. On 31 March 2022 she replaced price tags in a local supermarket in Saint Petersburg with little paper labels containing information about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the early morning of 11 April 2022, police arrested Aleksandra and charged her with “public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation”: a new Article of the Criminal Code hastily introduced by the Russian government in March 2022 to try and stop Russian people criticizing the invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of people have already been detained under this new “offence”.
Aleksandra has been held in detention ever since, harassed by staff and cellmates alike. She has coeliac disease and cannot eat any gluten, or she will be extremely ill. Since the detention centre does not provide her with food she can safely eat, she is forced to go hungry much of the time. If convicted, Aleksandra faces up to 10 years in prison.
