Yulia Tishchenko is a political prisoner
A resident of Tula Oblast has been sentenced to four years in a penal colony for a Facebook post about fundraising for the Ukrainian armed forces
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Yulia Tishchenko a political prisoner. Tishchenko has been convicted of making public calls to engage in activities against the security of the Russian Federation for an online appeal to the residents of the Ukrainian city of Sumy and ‘all those who are not indifferent’ to raise money to help the Ukrainian armed forces. The criminal prosecution and conviction of Tishchenko have violated her right to fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Yulia Tishchenko and that all criminal charges against her be dropped.
Who is Yulia Tishchenko and what were the charges against her?
On 29 November 2022, Yulia Tishchenko from Tula Oblast reported on Facebook in Ukrainian on the interim results of fundraising to help the Ukrainian armed forces and the need for further donations.
For this publication, Tishchenko was charged with making public calls on the Internet to engage in activities against the security of the Russian Federation (Article 280.4, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code). On 30 August 2023, she was remanded in custody. When questioned by investigators, Tishchenko stated that she had made the post at the request of her son who serves in the Ukrainian army. In court, Tishchenko pleaded guilty but refused to testify further on the basis of Article 51 of the Russian Constitution (the right not to testify against oneself).
On 13 December 2023, Tishchenko was sentenced to serve four years in a general-regime penal colony. The sentence was upheld on appeal.
Why do we consider Tishchenko a political prisoner?
The wording of the article on making calls to engage in activities against the security of the Russian Federation is extremely broad and lacking in specificity, which allows it to be applied arbitrarily. The prosecution took the view that Tishchenko had called for activities against the security of the state. Tishchenko did not deny that she had posted a call for fundraising in support of the Ukrainian armed forces. However, in our view, the investigative authorities and the court wrongly classified her actions. While the addendum to Article 280.4 contains a specific list of crimes that are considered activities directed against the security of the Russian Federation, the verdict does not specify which crime from this list is relevant to Tishchenko’s case.
Tishchenko published her post after the beginning of Russia’s full-scale military attack on Ukraine, an attack which constitutes aggression against another state, as reflected in the UN General Assembly resolution. According to international law, such aggression is the most serious international crime and is directed against both the security of Ukraine and Russia. Tishchenko’s actions, on the contrary, were aimed at restoring peace and are socially useful.
Furthermore, Tishchenko’s appeal was written in Ukrainian and begins with the words ‘Dear Residents of Sumy.’ In other words, it was addressed above all to Ukrainians forced to defend themselves from external aggression. Moreover, her son was fighting in the Ukrainian armed forces – a personal circumstance prompting concerns of a humanitarian nature. In calling for fundraising, Tishchenko was speaking about the importance of saving ‘the lives of our soldiers.’
A detailed description of Yulia Tishchenko’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can donate to support all political prisoners in Russia.
