Press Release, 13.02.2024

Photo: Zulfiya Sitdikova / Photo from social media

UPDATE: 13 February, 19:50 Moscow time. Fundraising for Zulfiya Sitdikova is closed! We thank everyone who helped the Yabloko activist.

Yabloko activist Zulfiya Sitdikova from Kazan, Tatarstan, is accused of “rehabilitating Nazism” (Article 354.1, Part 3 of the Criminal Code) and “discrediting the army” (Article 280.3, Part 1 of the Criminal Code) for the posters calling for peace. Previously, the activist was fined under an administrative article for “discrediting the army” and served five days of arrest for “disobeying the demands of a police officer”. The Tatarstan Yabloko is helping Sitdikova raise money to pay for a lawyer.

The reason for initiating a criminal case against Zulfiya Sitdikova was the posters calling for peace. The activist was detained with one of them in April 2023. A photograph picturing the second poster (without Sitdikova) against the backdrop of the Eternal Flame, dedicated in the victory over Nacism in the Second World War, in Kazan Victory Park appeared on social networks in May 2023. A preventive measure in the form of a recognizance not to leave Kazan was imposed on the activist then. However, this case has not yet gone to trial.

The charges in the criminal case against Sitdikova are based on the conclusions of a linguistic and psychological examination done by the Kazan Interregional Centre of Expertise.

Thus, experts considered that in the slogan “No ** ***,” demonstrated the “signs of denial of the fact of using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (as well as the Red Army) in order to protect the interests of the Russian Federation (USSR) and its citizens, maintaining peace and security.”

Linguistic expertise of the “9^th of Way” poster noted the “signs of a negative assessment of the activities of the armed forces of the USSR (Red Army) during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, a negative assessment of the days of military glory and memorable dates associated with the defence of Russia (the 9^th of May holiday)” . The conclusion also runs that “this method of presenting information can be regarded as an insult to the memory of the defenders of the Russian Federation.”

The Centre’s psychologist conducting the examination wrote that this poster had “signs of information aimed at creating a negative emotional assessment and a negative semantic attitude, a negative stereotype regarding representatives of the Red Army (armed forces of the USSR, participants in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945) and their activities”.

Chairman of the Tatarstan Yabloko Ruslan Zinatullin explains that Sitdikova did not want to insult the memory of the defenders and victims in the Great Patriotic War.

“The feat of the Soviet people who defended their homeland from the invaders is invaluable to us. We have great respect for the memory of the defenders and victims of that war, and we participate in memorial events. The main thing we want now is that killing of people in the current bloody military conflict must be stopped. I believe that Sitdikova’s action with the poster was just about this. The victory in the Great Patriotic War was too expensive for our people,” Ruslan Zinatullin commented.

In the summer of 2023, Sitdikova was fined 40,000 roubles for “discrediting the army” under Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses: on Russia Day, she came to the concert organised by the authorities wearing a jacket with the inscription “No to War”; at the end of the concert, the police detained the activist and took her to the police station, where they drew up an administrative violation protocol against her. Sitdikova was also arrested for five days, allegedly for “disobeying to the demands of a police officer”. Previously, Sitdikova was also repeatedly detained by the police: she participated in peaceful street protests against the “special operation” after February 2022. Her home was searched three times, that resulted in confiscation of all Sitdikova’s computer equipment and other personal belongings.

Zulfiya Sitdikova is an active supporter of Yabloko, helps in the organisation of party events, and regularly participates in actions of writing letters to political prisoners. The Tatarstan Yabloko asks all Russian citizens to help raise funds to pay for a lawyer for Zulfiya. Now she needs 30,000 roubles, 15,000 of which have already been collected.