Aleksei Sivokhin is a political prisoner
A Russian who fought in the Donbas on the side of Ukraine and gained Ukrainian citizenship has been sentenced to 10 years in a strict regime penal colony
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Aleksei Sivokhin a political prisoner. Sivokhin has been convicted on charges of participating in an extremist organisation, involving others in the organisation, and preparing a terrorist attack, on the grounds that he was a member of Right Sector and planned to set fire to a shopping centre. Sivokhin’s criminal prosecution showed signs of evidence having been fabricated and violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Aleksei Sivokhin and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Aleksei Sivokhin?
Aleksei Sivokhin, born in Moscow, moved to Ukraine in 2012. He joined the Ukrainian armed forces in 2016, serving in the Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. In 2019, has was granted Ukrainian citizenship. In January 2022, Sivokhin travelled to Russia to formally renounce his Russian citizenship.
On 9 March 2022, Sivokhin was detained in Moscow and jailed for 45 days on a charge of petty hooliganism. Two months after his arrest, investigators claimed they had found Telegram messages on his phone in which Sivokhin allegedly discussed plans with members of Pravy Sektor to commit arson ‘for the purpose of intimidating the public.’ Security forces also claimed to have discovered a cache in a forest where Sivokhin allegedly stored Molotov cocktails and explosives.
On 24 April, Sivokhin was arrested on criminal charges of participating in Pravy Sektor which he had allegedly joined in 2016 (Article 282.2, Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code) and of recruiting other detainees into this ‘extremist organisation’ after his arrest (Article 282.2, Part 1.1). Sivokhin was also charged with preparing a terrorist attack, allegedly planning to set fire to a business centre in Moscow Oblast (Article 30, Part 1, in conjunction with Article 205, Part 1). Sivokhin denied all charges and stated that the evidence against him had been fabricated.
On 31 May 2024, a military court sentenced Sivokhin to 10 years in a strict regime penal colony, with the first four years to be served in a cell-type prison. On 16 December 2024, an appeal court amended the legal classification of the conviction, although details have yet to be made public.
Why do we consider Aleksei Sivokhin a political prisoner?
Sivokhin denies having been a member of Pravy Sektor. However, regardless of whether he was a participant in the organisation or not, the charges against him are unlawful. The designation of Pravy Sektor as an extremist organisation is illegitimate and unjustified.
The charge of recruiting others to join Pravy Sektor is based on testimony from witnesses who were in detention and dependent on the investigative authorities and includes audio recordings of conversations with a fellow prisoner held in the same cell with Sivokhin for several months. Even if Sivokhin had attempted to recruit other detainees to join Pravy Sektor, his imprisoned cellmates could not have committed any offences.
The charge of preparing a terrorist attack is unproven. Investigators made no effort to identify Sivokhin’s alleged interlocutor; Sivokhin himself stated that FSB officers sent messages from his phone after he had been detained. No fingerprint analysis was conducted of the objects found in the ‘cache’ and, according to Sivokhin, biological traces were planted after FSB officers tricked him into providing a biological sample under the pretext of a COVID test.
A detailed description of Aleksei Sivokhin’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can write a letter to Aleksei Sivokhin at the following address:
In Russian:
662606, Красноярский край, г. Минусинск, ул. Горького, д. 114, ФКУ Т ГУФСИН России по Красноярскому краю, Сивохину Алексею Сергеевичу 1979 г. р.
In English:
Aleksei Sergeevich Sivokhin (born 1979), Prison of Federal Penitentiary Service for Krasnoyarsk Krai, 114 Gorkogo street, Minusinsk, 662606, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia.
You can also send emails via ZT (for payment with Russian bank cards), OVD-Info and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
