Pavel Pishchulin is a political prisoner
An activist from Penza has been sentenced to five years in a penal colony for allegedly corresponding with representatives of the Ukrainian security services.
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Pavel Pishchulin a political prisoner. Pishchulin was convicted on a charge of attempting to engage in collusion with a foreign state on the basis of alleged messenger correspondence with a representative of the Ukrainian security services. Pishchulin’s criminal prosecution violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand the release of Pavel Pishchulin and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
Who is Pavel Pishchulin and what were the charges against him?
Pavel Pishchulin is a political activist and leader of the left-wing movement, All-Russian Social Unity. In 2019, he attempted to stand as a candidate from the Party of Russian Veterans in elections to the Penza district assembly but was denied registration.
Pishchulin had been twice previously convicted on criminal charges for social media posts. In 2020, he received a suspended sentence on a charge of making calls to engage in extremism (Article 280 of the Russian Criminal Code). In 2021, he was sentenced to non-custodial compulsory work in his free time on a charge of offending the feelings of religious believers (Article 148). In 2022, Pishchulin appeared in an amateur online series, Kapo, about the torture of detainees.
On 17 October 2022, Pishchulin was detained by FSB officers. He was subsequently charged with attempted collusion with a foreign state (Article 30, Part 3, in conjunction with Article 275.1) on the basis of messenger correspondence with individuals allegedly linked to Ukrainian security services in which Pishchulin, it was claimed, offered assistance in activities said to undermine Russia’s security.
Pishchulin became the first person in Russia to be charged under this article. The criminal case against him was classified, and all court hearings were held in camera. The only information about the charges came from statements by the court and law enforcement agencies.
On 18 July 2024, Pishchulin was sentenced to five years in a general regime penal colony. On 12 December 2024, the sentence was upheld on appeal.
Why do we consider Pavel Pishchulin a political prisoner?
The article of the Criminal Code on ‘collusion’ with a foreign state was adopted into law in July 2022 as yet another tool in the authorities’ arsenal against so-called ‘internal enemies.’ The article’s provisions violate the principle of legal certainty: they contain no definition of what constitutes ‘collusion on a confidential basis.’ In effect, this law, which provides for punishment not for specific actions but for alleged intent to ‘assist’ in some undefined ‘activity,’ criminalises any communication between Russian citizens and foreigners.
In Pishchulin’s case, the prosecution alleged not actual collusion for the purpose of such ‘assistance’ but merely an attempt to engage therein. Criminal prosecution for an intention to communicate with foreign nationals, without any demonstrable harm to national security, is absurd. This article must be rescinded, all related criminal convictions quashed, and ongoing prosecutions dropped.
Courts classify criminal cases and hold trials in camera in order to evade public oversight, in violation of the defendants’ right to a public and fair hearing. We do not rule out the possibility that Pavel Pishchulin’s prosecution and conviction were connected to his many years of civic and political activism.
A detailed description of Pavel Pishchulin’s 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 write to Pavel Pishchulin at the following address:
RU:
613040, Кировская область, г. Кирово-Чепецк, ул. Овражная, д. 16, ФКУ ИК-5 УФСИН России по Кировской области, Пищулину Павлу Андреевичу 1982 г. р.
EN:
Pavel Andreevich Pishchulin (born 1982), Penal Colony No. 5, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Kirov Oblast, 16 Ovrazhnaya Street, Kirovo-Chepetsk, Kirov Oblast, 613040, Russia.
You can also send emails via the ZT service (for payment with Russian bank cards), OVD-Info and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
