Andrei Vitovtov is a political prisoner
A businessman from Barnaul has been sentenced to six years in a penal colony on a charge of justifying terrorism for publications on Telegram
The ‘Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Andrei Vitovtov a political prisoner. Vitovtov has been convicted of public justification of terrorism for publications he made on his Telegram channel. Vitovtov’s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Andrei Vitovtov and an end to his criminal prosecution.
What are the charges against Andrei Vitovtov?
Andrei Vitovtov was one of the administrators of the Telegram channel Ice Under the Major’s Feet [Lyod pod nogami mayora] which has more than 3,000 subscribers. The second administrator was Yulia Khorina, a citizen of Ukraine.
On 12 December 2023, Andrei Vitovtov was detained and charged with ‘public justification of terrorism and making calls to engage in terrorist activities using the Internet’ (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code) in connection with two publications on this channel. One post was about the attempted assassination of the Russian writer and propagandist Zakhar Prilepin, the other about a drone attack against the Moscow International Business Centre. Vitovtov himself claimed these publications had been made not by him but by Yulia Khorina, who lives in Ukraine and confirmed her authorship. However, the investigative authorities refused to take her testimony into account.
On 8 October 2024, Vitovtov was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment.
Why do we consider Andrei Vitovtov a political prisoner?
The investigative authorities did not prove it was Vitovtov who made the posts, and the court did not consider Vitovtov’s version that the author was Khorina.
Moreover, the charge of ‘public justification of terrorism and making calls to engage in terrorist activities using the Internet’ is untenable. The criminal act of blowing up Prilepin’s car should be classified not as an act of terrorism but as attempted murder – one that ended with the murder of Prilepin’s driver. Similarly, the drone attack should be considered as an episode in ongoing military operations rather than as an act of terrorism. We believe that the publications imputed to Vitovtov contain neither justification of terrorism nor calls to engage in terrorism.
The posts alleged to have been written by Vitovtov are strident and repellent in tone. However, in our opinion, they do not constitute a criminal offence. We believe that Vitovtov’s prosecution and conviction were related solely to his political views, namely his pro-Ukrainian position.
A detailed description of Andrei Vitovtov’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 to Andrei Vitovtov at the following address:
In Russian: 630010, г. Новосибирск, ул. Караваева, д. 1, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ГУФСИН России по Новосибирской области, Витовтову Андрею Васильевичу 1972 г. р.
In English: Andrei Vasilievich Vitovtov (born 1972), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Novosibirsk Oblast, 1 Karavaeva Street, Novosibirsk, 630010, Russia.
You can also send an email via F-Pismo and ZT services (for payment with Russian bank cards), PrisonMail (for payment with foreign 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.ртвование для помощи всем политзаключённым в России.
