Aleksandr Grigoryev is a political prisoner
A resident of Lobnya, near Moscow, has been convicted on charges of ‘collusion’ with a foreign state
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Aleksandr Grigoryev a political prisoner. Grigoryev was convicted on a charge of collusion with a foreign state. The criminal case against Grigoryev violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Aleksandr Grigoryev and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Aleksandr Grigoryev?
There is very little information about Aleksandr Grigoryev’s case or about him personally. It is known he is 23 years old and trained as a pastry chef. He was reportedly detained on 12 November 2023 and charged with collusion with a foreign organisation (Article 275.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
We do not know what Aleksandr Grigoryev was specifically accused of or what evidence the investigative authorities had to prove his guilt.
On 27 January 2025, Aleksandr Grigoryev was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment. The length of his sentence is unknown.
Why do we consider Aleksandr Grigoryev a political prisoner?
The offence of ‘collusion’ was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in July 2022 and has since become yet another tool used by the authorities against opponents of the regime. The relevant legal provisions of the offence do not comply with the principle of legal certainty. With no legal definition of what ‘collusion’ means, the offence serves to effectively criminalise any communication between Russian citizens and foreigners. The law on ‘collusion’ provides for punishment, not for specific actions, but for an alleged intention to ‘facilitate’ some undefined ‘activity.’ This law must be repealed, all related criminal convictions quashed and ongoing charges dropped.
Although few details of Aleksandr Grigoryev’s case are available, the fact that he was prosecuted for the offence of ‘collusion’ with foreigners indicates the actions of which he was accused posed no real danger to society.
A detailed description of Aleksandr Grigoryev’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
If you know in which penal colony Aleksandr Grigoryev is being held, please email us at: [email protected]
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
