ACTIVIST SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN PRISON

UA: Russian Federation 71.22
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On July 15, 2022, a court in Krasnodar (southern Russia) sentenced Andrei Pivovarov to four years in prison for “carrying out activities of an undesirable organization”, under a law that contravenes Russia’s international human rights obligations. Andrei Pivovarov is a political activist, human rights defender and the former director of Open Russia, an organisation advocating for democracy and human rights. On May 31, 2021, he was taken off a flight in Saint Petersburg and arbitrarily detained since. Andrei Pivovarov has committed no internationally recognized crime and has been jailed for exercising his rights to freedom of expression and association. He is appealing his conviction.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
Igor Victorovich Krasnov Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation 15a Bolshaya Dmitrovka street Moscow 125993 Russian Federation
Ambassador Anatoly Antonov Embassy of the Russian Federation 2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington DC 20007 Phone: 202 298 5700 I Fax: 202 298 5735 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @RusEmbUSA Facebook: @RusEmbUSA Instagram: @RusEmbUSA Salutation: Dear Ambassador


SAMPLE LETTER Dear Prosecutor General, I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the arbitrary prosecution and conviction of activist Andrei Pivovarov, who was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on charges of “carrying out the activities of an undesirable organization” (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code). He is appealing his conviction. Andrei Pivovarov’s only “crime” was posting information about the peaceful and lawful activities of the Russian non-governmental organization, Open Russia. He was arrested on May 31, 2021, and put in pretrial detention in Krasnodar, a city many kilometres away from his home. Andrei Pivovarov is a prominent political activist and human rights defender from Saint Petersburg. He has been involved in the democracy and human rights movement in Russia for more than 15 years and has never used or condoned violence. Exercising one’s rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association is not a crime. They are guaranteed by the Russian Constitution and international law. In the light of the above, I urge you to drop the criminal charges against Andrei Pivovarov, end his prosecution and immediately and unconditionally release him. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES