Bohdan Ziza is a political prisoner
The artist has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a protest against Russia’s war on Ukraine in front of the city government building in Yevpatoria
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Bohdan Ziza a political prisoner. Ziza has been convicted on charges of vandalism, terrorism, threatening to commit a terrorist act, and incitement of terrorism for an anti-war protest in front of the city government building in Yevpatoria and for publishing a video of the event. Ziza’s criminal prosecution violates his right to fair trial and the severity of his sentence is intended to intimidate opponents of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
We demand that Ziza’s conviction be quashed, that all criminal charges of terrorism against him be dropped, and that his case be retried in a fair hearing.
Who is Bohdan Ziza and what are the charges against him?
Bohdan Ziza, a 30-year-old graffiti artist from Yevpatoria in Crimea, has both Ukrainian and Russian citizenship and close relatives who live in mainland Ukraine.
On the night of 16 May 2022, Ziza poured blue and yellow paint on the wall of the Yevpatoria city government building and threw two Molotov cocktails at the building. One struck a window but did not catch fire, the second shattered on the exterior wall. The fire was quickly extinguished and caused no serious damage.
After returning home, Ziza posted a video of the protest on social media. In the video, he warned city officials: ‘Until you speak out against the war, protests like this will continue in the city, and how soon I move on from the buildings to you personally depends only on you.’ Ziza also called on other artists to speak out against the war.
The same day Ziza was detained and four days later was remanded in custody on charges of vandalism motivated by political hatred or enmity (Article 214, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code) and terrorism (Article 205, Part 1). On account of the video, Ziza was also charged with threatening to commit a terrorist act (Article 205, Part 1) and incitement of terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2).
On 6 June 2023, the court sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment, of which the first four years are to be served in a cell-type prison and the remainder in a strict regime penal colony, with a subsequent ban on administering websites for two years.
Why do we consider Ziza a political prisoner?
Being against the war should not be interpreted as a manifestation of political hatred or hostility. Protesting the Russian invasion of Ukraine is socially useful. Ziza was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment on the charge of vandalism ‘motivated by political hatred’: without this motive he would not have faced imprisonment at all.
Ziza’s protests cannot be classified as ‘terrorist’ offences. They were not intended to intimidate the general public. As he stated in his videos and his testimony, his motivation was to protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine,
Calling for protests against the war cannot be regarded as incitement of terrorism.
Finally, Ziza’s appeal to officials cannot be classified as a threat to commit a terrorist act. Abstract in nature, it was not aimed at intimidating the public in general.
A detailed description of the case of Bohdan Ziza and our position are available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human right project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can write to Bohdan Ziza at the following address:
In Russian: 600020, Владимир, ул. Большая Нижегородская, д. 67, ФКУ Т-2 УФСИН России по Владимирской области, Зизе Богдану Сергеевичу, 1994 г. р.
In English: Bohdan Serhiiovych Ziza (born 1994), Prison No. 2, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Vladimir region, 67 Bolshaya Nizhegorodskaya Street, Vladimir, 600020, Russia.
You can also send an electronic letter via PrisonMail.
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the recipient.
You can donate to support all political prisoners in Russia.
