Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis are political prisoners
Two schoolchildren from St. Petersburg have been sentenced to between two and four years in a penal colony for attempting to set fire to a railway relay cabinet
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis political prisoners. The two schoolchildren were convicted under terrorism laws for attempting to set fire to a railway relay cabinet. The criminal prosecutions and convictions of Doronin and Lauskis violated their rights to a fair trial; moreover, the punishment imposed is disproportionate to the public danger of their actions. We demand that Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis be immediately released and that all criminal charges against them be dropped.
What were the charges against the two schoolchildren?
Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis are schoolchildren from St. Petersburg. On 16 September 2023, the 14-year-old teenagers (Artemy was then in 8th grade and Egor in 7th grade) threw a bottle containing a flammable mixture at a railway relay cabinet at Lakhta railway station. The cabinet did not catch fire, only the paint on it was scorched. Subsequently, Russian Railways estimated the damage at 758 roubles.
The teenagers were detained the next day, 17 September 2023, and charged with a terrorist act committed by a group of persons by prior agreement (Article 205, Part 2 [a], of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). Doronin and Lauskis admitted they had thrown a Molotov cocktail but claimed that they had no terrorist motives — they had wanted to ‘test’ the incendiary mixture and considered their actions to be hooliganism.
As evidence of terrorist motives, the investigative authorities used Doronin’s subscription to the Free Russia Legion Telegram channel. The investigative authorities also cited Doronin’s correspondence with an unknown user under the nickname ‘Magavk.’ Artemy Doronin stressed that this interlocutor incited him to commit arson and later began to threaten him, so he and Egor Lauskis decided to simulate arson and send ‘Magavk’ a video. Doronin also said he had been threatened by the FSB during his first interrogation.
On 6 May 2024, Artemy Doronin was sentenced to four years in a correctional colony and Egor Lauskis to two years.
Why do we consider Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis political prisoners?
The case of Doronin and Lauskis is an example of the arbitrary application of the law on terrorism. Since individuals under the age of 16 years are not subject to criminal liability for damage to property under hooliganism or sabotage laws, a terrorism charge proved to be the only way the investigative authorities could initiate a criminal case against the boys. Yet even then the necessary elements for such a charge — a real danger of serious consequences, intimidation of the public and an aim to destabilise the authorities — were not confirmed by the case materials.
Moreover, the teenagers did not attempt to open the railway relay cabinet to set it on fire from the inside and disable it. What caught fire were the grass around the cabinet and the cabinet’s external paint. The damage was symbolic and was compensated for even before the trial.
Since the teenagers subscribed to Telegram channels, in particular that of the Free Russia Legion, designated a terrorist organisation in Russia, the investigative authorities and the court concluded that what the teenagers did was not just hooliganism, but a planned terrorist attack. This decision is unlawful since the Free Russia Legion is a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces that participates legally in hostilities on the side of Ukraine.
An important element of the evidence for the prosecution was their correspondence with an unknown user, nicknamed ‘Magavk,’ who manipulated the teenagers and effectively incited them to commit arson. It is likely that this nickname was used by a provocateur or an officer of the Russian security services, as has been the case in many similar instances.
A detailed description of the case of Artemy Doronin and Egor Lauskis and the position of the Human Rights Project is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Artemy Doronin at the following address:
RU:
614056, Пермский край, г. Пермь, ул. Соликамская, 246-а, ФКУ СИЗО-5 ГУФСИН России по Пермскому краю, Доронин Артемий Анатольевич, 2008 г. р.
EN:
Artemy Anatolyevich Doronin (born 2008), Remand Prison No. 5, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Perm Krai, 246-a Solikamskaya Street, Perm, Perm Krai, 614056, Russia.
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
