One is an animal-loving musician, the other is a retired engineer. What do these two Russians have in common? Both are on trial for criticizing the Russian offensive in Ukraine and could be sentenced to several years in prison.
In addition to the high-profile cases of famous Kremlin opponents, who have been held in detention since the conflict began in February 2022, thousands of anonymous people are quietly trapped in the Russian repression machine.
It took a year for the noose to get in the way of Alexander Bakhtin, a 51-year-old musician and environmental activist.
In March and April 2022, Bakhtin published three posts on the Russian social network VKontakte (VK) denouncing the military campaign in Ukraine, citing civilian casualties and accusing President Vladimir Putin.
In March 2023, this resident of Mytishchi, a suburb of Moscow, was suddenly arrested and placed in pretrial detention, accused of spreading “false information” about the Russian army. You can get up to 10 years in prison.
“People in our neighborhood are shocked” by his arrest, his mother, Liudmila Bakhtina, 79, told AFP on the sidelines of a June 6 court hearing. “He didn’t even kill a fly. He defended animals, he was an environmentalist, he helped everyone. Now they want to make him a terrorist,” he said with tears in his eyes.
Unlike the trials of known opponents, which draw large crowds, the trial of Bakhtin and other ordinary Russians takes place without public attention.
At Bakhtin’s hearing were a friend and his mother, who had been called as witnesses for the prosecution against her own son.
“Arrest me too!”
The woman assured the court that she had signed her statement “without reading”.
Bakhtina went on to say that the written statement seemed too long for the short interrogation she had with the prosecutor.
“Do you believe that the Russian army is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people?” the prosecutor asked the woman during the trial. “No,” she replied.
“And your son? […] What is his opinion of the president?” the magistrate also wondered. “My son is a pacifist, he is against the war and so am I. Arrest me too!”
The judge then invited Bakhtin to question the mother.
“When you were questioned on March 6, were you told that you have the right to refuse to testify against me?” asked Bakhtin. “No!” exclaimed the mother.
The hearing was postponed to June 20, which was considered normal.
Bakhtin, who according to his mother suffers from bronchitis and heart problems, must remain in prison.
According to data from the independent human rights organization OVD-Info, more than 20,000 people have been arrested in Russia for protesting the conflict in Ukraine.
Thousands of people were accused of publishing “false information” about the offensive, others were accused of “discrediting” the military.
“Increasingly Common”
Hours before Bakhtin’s hearing, 75-year-old Anatoly Roshchin was also on trial in another suburb of Moscow.
The court in Lobnya accused the retired aeronautical engineer of discrediting the army in internet publications. He faces up to five years in prison.
“These cases are becoming more and more common,” his lawyer, Evgenia Grigorieva, told AFP.
At the beginning of the conflict, Roshchin protested alone in front of the Lobnya City Hall with a banner that read: “My country, you have lost your mind.”
Most passers-by pretended not to see him. “They were scared,” he explained to AFP.
“If the Russians weren’t afraid to take to the streets, there wouldn’t be a war. We’re responsible for that,” he said.
Roshchin felt “guilty” for Ukraine and decided to continue posting comments on social media despite the ongoing trial. “I want the Ukrainians to know that not all Russians are cowards.”
Source: DN
