Pavel Korshunov is a political prisoner
An employee of a travel agency from Tolyatti has been sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment on a charge of terrorism for setting fire to the front door of the city council building
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Pavel Korshunov a political prisoner. Korshunov has been convicted of committing an act of terrorism for attempting to set fire to the city council building. Korshunov’s criminal prosecution and conviction violate his right to fair trial. We demand that Korshunov’s conviction for a terrorist offence be quashed and his case be reviewed in a fair trial.
What were the charges against Pavel Korshunov?
On the night of 22 September 2022, shortly after mobilisation for the war against Ukraine was announced, Pavel Korshunov attempted to set fire to the city council building in Tolyatti. He threw two homemade incendiary devices into the building, as a result of which the building’s front door and porch roof caught fire. The fire – about 10 square metres in area – was quickly extinguished.
On 26 September 2022 Korshunov was detained and his apartment was searched. On 28 September a video was published online in which Korshunov said he had committed the arson in order to intimidate local government staff and get them to ‘take a negative decision about mobilisation.’
Initially, a criminal case was opened on a charge of ‘willful damage to property’ (Article 167, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code) but the charge was subsequently reclassified as the more serious offence of an act of terrorism (Article 205, Part 2). Later, another episode was added to the case: on the night of 29 April 2022, Korshunov had poured red paint on a banner bearing the St. George ribbon and the inscription ‘We do not abandon our own’ on the same building.
On 1 July 2024, Korshunov was sentenced to 13 years in a strict-regime penal colony, with the first four years to be served in a cell-type prison. The charge of defacing the banner was dropped on account of the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Why do we consider Korshunov a political prisoner?
We believe it is wrong to characterise what Korshunov did as an act of terrorism. Korshunov’s actions were not motivated by a desire to intimidate the population. In reality, he was protesting against mobilisation, as he himself stated. Korshunov retracted his statement that he had wanted to intimidate local government staff, saying he had made it under pressure.
Korshunov had previously spoken out against Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and participated in anti-war rallies, for which he was prosecuted under administrative law.
The initial classification of the arson as ‘willful damage to property’ was more correct. Moreover, we believe the fact that Korshunov was motivated by anti-war feelings reduces, rather than increases, the danger to the public of Korshunov’s actions.
A detailed description of Pavel Korshunov’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 Pavel Korshunov at the following address:
In Russian: 443022, г. Самара, Садовый проезд, д. 22, ФКУ СИЗО-1 ГУФСИН России по Самарской области, Коршунову Павлу Андреевичу 1987 г. р.
In English: Pavel Andreevich Korshunov (born 1987), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Samara Oblast, 22 Sadovy proezd, Samara, 443022, Russia.
You can also send an email via ZT services (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.
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