Arsenty Derenutsa is a political prisoner
A person with dual citizenship of Moldova and Russia has been sentenced to five years in a penal colony on a charge of collusion with foreigners
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Arsenty Derenutsa a political prisoner. Arsenty Derenutsa was convicted of collusion with a foreign organisation for correspondence on the Internet. Derenutsa’s prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Arsenty Derenutsa and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Arsenty Derenutsa?
Arsenty Derenutsa, who has dual Moldovan and Russian citizenship, lived in Altai Krai and worked as a construction worker.
According to the prosecution, Arsenty Derenutsa spoke out against Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He allegedly established contact via a messenger service with a representative of an unnamed Ukrainian organisation. His alleged intention was to collect information for money about military facilities in Altai Krai, the regulations governing access to them and their security systems. Derenutsa’s position on the case is not known.
Derenutsa’s trial took place in camera. On 19 December 2024, Derenutsa was sentenced to five years in a general regime penal colony.
Why do we consider Arsenty Derenutsa a political prisoner?
The law criminalising ‘collusion’ was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in July 2022. It has since become yet one more tool used by the authorities to combat ‘internal enemies.’ However, the law’s provisions do not comply with the principle of legal certainty, effectively serving to criminalise any communications between Russian citizens and citizens of other countries. The law provides for punishment not for specific actions, but merely for an alleged intention to ‘facilitate’ some undefined ‘activity.’
The law on ‘collusion’ must be repealed, and all related criminal cases closed.
We believe that if Derenutsa’s actions had posed a real threat to the public, and the investigative authorities had sufficient evidence of his guilt, he would have been charged with a different offence. With the help of the law on ‘collusion,’ the security forces are able to intimidate the public and are relieved of the need to actually prove the guilt of the accused.
We believe that criticism of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine is beneficial to society and therefore should not be subject to criminal prosecution, let alone punished by imprisonment.
A detailed description of Arsenty Derenutsa’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Arsenty Derenutsa at the following address:
RU:
656021, Алтайский край, г. Барнаул, Канатный пр-д, д. 81, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Алтайскому краю, Деренуце Арсентию, 1983 г. р.
EN:
Arsenty Derenutsa (born 1983), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Altai Krai, 81 Kanatny Proezd, Barnaul, Altai Krai, 656021, Russia.
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Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
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