Evgeny Lazutin is a political prisoner
A security guard at a market in Khanty-Mansiysk has been sentenced to one year in a penal colony for a smoking-room argument about the war in Ukraine
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Evgeny Lazutin a political prisoner. Lazutin was convicted on a charge of repeated ‘discrediting’ of the use of the Russian armed forces for views he expressed in an argument about the war in a smoking room at a local market. Lazutin’s prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Evgeny Lazutin and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Evgeny Lazutin?
On 12 December 2023, Lazutin was fined on an administrative-law charge for ‘discrediting’ the army by posting a video, apparently about the war in Ukraine, on the Odnoklassniki social media site. A month later, he was again fined under administrative law, this time for allegedly displaying Nazi symbols on the same platform. Lazutin stated that he had done this to criticise Nazism.
On 28 February 2024, in the smoking room of the Lukoshko market in Khanty-Mansiysk where Lazutin worked as a security guard, he took part in a discussion about the war in Ukriane. During a disagreement, he expressed a negative view of the war in emotional terms, calling soldiers ‘idiots’ and ‘cannon fodder.’ Police were called, Lazutin was detained, and he was again charged with ‘discrediting’ the army. As he had previously been convicted under administrative law for this offence, a criminal charge was brought against him for repeated ‘discrediting’ of the use of the Russian armed forces (Article 280.3, Part 1, of the Russian Criminal Code).
On 10 April 2025, Lazutin was sentenced to one year in a general regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Evgeny Lazutin a political prisoner?
The criminal law on ‘discrediting’ the Russian armed forces, under which Lazutin was convicted, was adopted immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. In practice, this law bans criticism of the actions of the Russian authorities and violates the right to freedom of expression.
The law does not comply with the principle of legal certainty. The Criminal Code contains no definition of ‘discrediting,’ and therefore citizens cannot know in advance which actions will be considered criminal. Furthermore, the law links the existence of a criminal offence to a previous administrative conviction for the same conduct, in other words imposing a second punishment for one and the same act.
We consider that the law on repeated ‘discrediting’ of the Russian armed forces contradicts the Russian Constitution, Russia’s international obligations, and fundamental principles of law. It was introduced to target critics of the authorities and should be rescinded. All criminal convictions under this law, including that of Evgeny Lazutin, are unlawful and should be quashed, and all ongoing charges dropped.
Criticism of war should not be treated as an offence. On the contrary, dissent with regard to the Russian invasion, such as that expressed by Evgeny Lazutin even after he had been fined under administrative law, is to be commended. We believe criticism of Russia’s war of aggression is beneficial for society and cannot be grounds for criminal prosecution, still less a custodial sentence.
A detailed description of Evgeny Lazutin’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
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