Press Release, 11.12.2019

In Sochi, activists, supporters and members of the Yabloko party held a picket in support of Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov, political prisoners in the Rostov case. The picket was held as part of the All-Russian campaign “Against Political Reprisals”.

On 10 December, the Third Court of Appeal upheld the sentence of 19-year-old Yan Sidorov and 22-year-old Vladislav Mordasov from Rostov-on-Don. They were assigned 6 years 6 months and 6 years 7 months in a maximum security penal colony, respectively, in the case of “mass riots” (Article 30 Part 3 and Article 212 Part 1 of the Criminal Code). Sidorov and Mordasov were detained on 5 November, 2017, in front of the government building of the Rostov Region, they had a megaphone, a sports bag and two posters. One of the posters ran “Government to resignation”, and the second one – “Return the land to Rostov fire victims”.

Iren Ilyenkova, Chair of the Krasnodar branch of Yabloko, emphasised that pickets without a permission from the authorities did not mean crime. According to the decision of the Constitutional Court of Russia of 18 June, 2019, the protest nature of the action does not make it criminal.

“December 12 is the Day of the Russian Constitution – the fundamental law of the state and a normative legal act that has the highest legal force. According to Article 29 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, everyone is guaranteed freedom of thought and speech. One can not be sent to prison only because the citizen expresses his/her opinion. When Russian justice means impossibility to understand the situation, and the shameful terms of trial imply the good will of the master, this is political repression! And you should not pretend that this does not happen! ” Iren Ilyenkova noted.

It should be noted that on 5 November, 2017, Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov went to the Soviets Square opposite the building of the government of the Rostov Region, unfurled a poster “Return the land to the Rostov fire victims” and were detained. The investigation lasted more than 18 months.  Vladislav Mordasov and Yan Sidorov stated that they were beaten and tortured at the stage of the investigation, were forced to give a confession, and in court they refused to admit their guilt. Vladislav Mordasov and Yan Sidorov received 6.5 years in a maximum security colony. They were charged with organization of non-existent “riots” and involvement in the Artpodgotovka movement, which was not true. Despite the support of citizens throughout the country, on 10 December, 2019, the Sochi Court of Appeal, at a retreat held in the building of the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don, upheld the sentence to Mordasov and Sidorov.

The Memorial Human Rights Centre and Amnesty International recognised Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov as prisoners of conscience. The Rostov branch of Yabloko issued a statement demanding to cancel the sentence to the young people. Activists of the regional branch of the party went on pickets in support of Sidorov and Mordasov.