Yevgeny Zakharov is a political prisoner

A resident of Yakutia has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for allegedly passing information about the situation in his region to Ukrainian intelligence

The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Yevgeny Zakharov a political prisoner. Zakharov was convicted on a charge of ‘collusion with a representative of a foreign state or foreign organisation’ for communicating online with Ukrainian citizens. His prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Yevgeny Zakharov and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.

What were the charges against Yevgeny Zakharov?

In April 2023, Yevgeny Zakharov from Yakutsk was twice fined 30,000 roubles for expressing anti-war views on the administrative-law charge of ‘discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation’ (Article 20.3.3, Part 1, of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences).

The first fine was for a conversation he posted on YouTube with a Ukrainian video blogger using the name ‘Andriy Popik,’ in which he said Russian troops had ‘illegally entered Ukrainian territory’ and ‘military commissariats were recruiting people indiscriminately.’ The second fine was for shouting anti-war slogans in the street.

On 1 March 2024, Yevgeny Zakharov was remanded in custody on a charge of collusion with a foreign state (Article 275.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). According to the investigative authorities, he allegedly agreed via Telegram to cooperate with a representative of Ukrainian intelligence, after which he ‘passed information about the socio-economic situation in Yakutia, the local population’s attitude to the war against Ukraine and the ongoing mobilisation, as well as other information, and wrote anti-Russian slogans on banners with patriotic symbols supporting the war.’

On 17 October 2024, Zakharov was convicted and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in a general regime penal colony and fined 20,000 roubles.

Why do we consider Yevgeny Zakharov a political prisoner?

According to the investigative authorities, in October 2022 Zakharov agreed with Ukrainian intelligence agencies to engage in ‘joint activities directed against the security of Russia.’ The exact nature of this agreement remains unclear. The authorities may be interpreting Zakharov’s personal opinions and anti-war statements, as expressed in the conversation with the Ukrainian blogger, as ‘information about mobilisation and the situation in Yakutia.’ However, such statements, including those about mobilisation, do not touch upon state or other legally protected secrets and cannot be grounds for criminal prosecution.

As for the alleged ‘anti-Russian slogans’ on banners, these acts do not in themselves require ‘collusion with foreign intelligence services.’

The offence of ‘collusion,’ introduced into the Russian Criminal Code in July 2022, is yet another tool used by the authorities to target ‘internal enemies.’ Its provisions fail to meet the principle of legal certainty. In practice, the law criminalises any contact between Russian citizens and foreigners and opens the door to arbitrary decisions by investigators and the courts.

This article should be rescinded, all related convictions quashed and ongoing charges dropped.

A detailed description of Yevgeny Zakharov’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?

If you know in which correctional facility Yevgeny Zakharov is being held, please contact us via our Telegram bot or by email at [email protected]

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