An artist from Komsomolsk-on-Amur who was arrested over a comment died by suicide in a pre-trial detention center

Andrey Akuzin, a 53-year-old artist and set designer, has died by suicide in a pre-trial detention centre in Komsomolsk-on-Amur. He was reportedly found hanged in his cell on 8 April, just one day after his birthday and a week after his arrest.

Detained on 2 April over an online comment, Andrey Akuzin was posthumously added to Russia’s federal list of ‘terrorists and extremists’. His friend Tatiana Frolova told Mediazona that the charges likely stemmed from a simple social media interaction. ‘He isn’t a terrorist; it’s just ridiculous, he simply didn’t want to stay silent — formally, he was taken in over some like or reply to a post.’

The artist’s final message to Tatiana Frolova, sent the day before his arrest, described a dream of escaping Russia for Europe, hidden inside a theatrical prop crate. In previous correspondence, Andrey Akuzin had frequently remarked that ‘the only free protest today is suicide.’

According to Mediazona, in the 2000s, Andrey Akuzin had a solo exhibition of his work, which he told local TV was inspired by Zen Buddhism. Later, he worked as a set designer for a theatre. In 2021, he opened his own digital printing business.

Andrey Akuzin’s name appears in leaked databases of ‘opposition figures’. His personal Instagram account contains no political statements, with the exception of a post from July 2022 where he filmed an orchestra playing a military march in Komsomolsk-on-Amur square, captioning the video ‘No to war’.