Vladimir Yarotsky is a political prisoner
He has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment on a charge of desecrating symbols of military glory for a cartoon of Putin
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Vladimir Yarotsky a political prisoner. Yarotsky has been convicted on charges of desecrating symbols of military glory on the Internet and making public calls to engage in terrorism for publications on the VK social media site. Yarotsky’s criminal prosecution violates his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand that Vladimir Yarotsky be released from custody and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Vladimir Yarotsky?
On 3 May 2023, Vladimir Yarotsky from Pyatigorsk published a caricature of Vladimir Putin on his VK page. The caricature shows an artist painting a portrait of Putin from life, while on the canvas there appears the image of a penis. On both Putin and the penis there is a ribbon of St George tied in a bow. The drawing is accompanied by the caption: ‘Smart people see that Putin is burying Russia alive, while fools are sure he is saving it…’. On the basis of this cartoon, Yarotsky was accused of desecrating symbols of military glory using the Internet (Article 354.1, Part 4, of the Russian Criminal Code).
On 5 December 2023, Yarotsky was sentenced to serve 18 months in a general-regime penal colony and taken into custody in the courtroom. The prosecutor’s office appealed the sentence, and on 20 March 2024 it was quashed and the case was sent for a retrial. Yarotsky remains in detention awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, for another publication on VK, Yarotsky was charged with making calls to engage in terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2). According to the investigative authorities, in July 2022 Yarotsky published a post that called for ‘an attempt on [Putin’s] life to stop his activities and the special military operation.’ On that charge, on 8 May 2024, Yarotsky was fined 350,000 roubles.
Why do we consider Yarotsky a political prisoner?
The article on ‘desecration of symbols of military glory,’ under which Yarotsky is being prosecuted, was introduced into the Russian Criminal Code in 2014 after the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in eastern Ukraine. The article has become yet another instrument of repression in Russia. It effectively bans public discussion of the USSR’s role in World War II and criminalises criticism of Russian military symbols. The law is also used to forbid criticism of the ribbon of St George, which has become one of the symbols of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Yarotsky’s cartoon expresses his negative attitude towards Putin and the war this leader unleashed against Ukraine. Despite the indecent form of the cartoon, there is no offence in its posting, and criticism of a criminal war is beneficial for society.
We do not know the nature of the publication that led to Yarotsky being prosecuted for making calls to engage in terrorism. We analysed his VK page and concluded that his publications criticising Putin and the war against Ukraine do not constitute justification of terrorism.
A detailed description of Vladimir Yarotsky’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.
