On February 16, 2024, Alexei Navalny died, murdered in one of the hardest prisons in Russia. He served there a nineteen sentence for various crimes, including that of having founded, in 2011, and led a “Extremist organization”in this case the Anti -Corruption Foundation, famous for its uncompromising investigations on the ruling elites.
A year later, the repressive machine continues to turn at full speed. Any critical voice is suffocated and the last vestiges of civil society are destroyed in the name of the fight against extremism and terrorism. However, this campaign does not take place in camera: it is the subject of rigorous follow-up, led in particular by the OVD-INFO association.
Despite the persecution it is the subject of, this non -governmental organization (NGO) strives to defend human rights in Russia by collecting legal data and by providing legal assistance to the victims of arbitrariness. While the Russian government is currently recognized by Donald Trump as a legitimate interlocutor to negotiate the fate of Ukraine, the annual report What has just published OVD-Info throws raw light on the suffocation of freedoms inside the country.
Severe penalties
The assessment is dark. Despite a slight reduction in the number of criminal proceedings in 2024, the repression of any critical voice continues with renewed brutality: at least ten political prisoners are, like Alexei Navalny, who died in their cell during 2024 .
The number of political detainees, increasing, amounts today to at least 1,500 people, probably much more. The severity of the penalties inflicted is shocking: at least ten years of detention for more than a quarter of them. Two -thirds of those currently prosecuted for political reasons are accused of having carried out extremist or terrorist activities.
What do these incriminations hide? Frequently mobilized in 2024, the accusation of “Justify or promote terrorism” For example serves to suppress people who, on social networks, dared to criticize the government following attacks against the Crimean bridge or to the drone strikes in Moscow. And what about Arseni Troubine, this 15-year-old political prisoner, who was sentenced to five years in detention for having deposited anti-poutine leaflets in mailboxes? He was also found guilty of participating in a terrorist organization.
You have 59.45% of this article to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
Source: Lemonde