Blogger Alyona Agafonova recognized as political prisoner

An article, under which Alyona Agafonova, a blogger from Samara, was sentenced to correctional labour for desecrating the monument “The Motherland is Calling!”, provides no clear definitions, and there is no official list of symbols of the Russia’s military glory, human rights defenders pointed out. They requested the authorities to stop the criminal prosecution against Alyona Agafonova for her comic video.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Alyona Agafonova is accused of desecrating a symbol of the Russia’s military glory (the article provides a punishment of up to five years of imprisonment). Alyona Agafonova admitted her guilt and requested the court to consider her case in a special procedure. The court sentenced the blogger to 10 months of correctional labour.

The article on the desecration of symbols of the Russia’s military glory, under which Alyona Agafonova is being prosecuted, has become another tool of repression: it is used to suppress public discussion about the role of the USSR in World War II and to criminalize criticism of the Russian military symbols, states the website of the “Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial” project.

It is noted that there are no laws establishing a list of “symbols of the Russia’s military glory.” In 2023, only one such symbol was declared: the ribbon of Saint George. The Russian legislation also lacks a clear description of what constitutes “an insult to the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland.”

The wording of the article on the desecration of symbols of military glory does not correspond to the principle of legal certainty, which gives the authorities ample opportunities for ungrounded and sometimes absurd accusations. The video recorded by Alyona Agafonova clearly suggests that the blogger was filming humorous videos and had no intention to insult participants of World War II, human rights defenders note.