The Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial Human Rights Project has recognized activist Ruslan Akhmetshin from Arkhangelsk as a political prisoner. He is a defendant in a criminal case on the rehabilitation of Nazism because of his post about Victory Day on vk.com. Akhmetshin is currently in a detention center. The project’s Telegram channel reported this on July 4.
The human rights advocates noted that Ruslan Akhmetshin’s criminal prosecution was violating his right to freedom of expression. According to representatives of the Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial Project, the persecution of the ex-photographer of Alexei Navalny’s headquarters* in Arkhangelsk is aimed at intimidating independent activists and critics of the power. The human rights advocates believe that the article on the rehabilitation of Nazism (354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) does not comply with the Constitution of Russia and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in its current form.
Memorial demanded releasing Akhmetshin and closing the case.
Ruslan Akhmetshin is a well-known activist in Arkhangelsk. He often took photos during court hearings, opposition’s events, was a cameraman for Navalny's headquarters* in Arkhangelsk. On May 11, 2021, Akhmetshin posted an article by Viktor Shenderovich on his page on vk.com. The journalist wrote in it that Victory Day's celebration in Putin's Russia distorted this historical date’s meaning. Akhmetshin supported the theses of the publicist, having criticized the regional authorities’ "vulgar carnival" and the state’s ban on talking about the Second World War.
In December, the Investigating Committee opened a criminal case against Ruslan Akhmetshin under the article on the rehabilitation of Nazism (Parts 2 and 4 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The activist was searched in March 2022. The court appointed him pre-trial restrictions in the form of a ban on certain actions. On May 9, security forces detained Akhmetshin at Domodedovo Airport when he was trying to travel to Armenia for treatment. After that, the court sent him to a detention center.
