Roman Grigoryan is a political prisoner
An entrepreneur from Sevastopol has been sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony on a charge of treason
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Roman Grigoryan a political prisoner. Grigoryan was convicted on a charge of treason for allegedly making donations to the Ukrainian armed forces. Grigoryan’s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Roman Grigoryan and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Roman Grigoryan?
Sevastopol entrepreneur Roman Grigoryan moved with his family to Spain in 2023. On his Instagram page, he posted photos of protests held in Valencia against the war in Ukraine, which were noticed by informants from the Crimean SMERSH movement. Their Telegram channel reported that Grigoryan still had real estate in Sevastopol, which he was renting out. In 2024, when the entrepreneur returned to Sevastopol to sell his property, he was arrested and charged with treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
According to the prosecution, from August 2023 to February 2024 Grigoryan donated funds to the Ukrainian armed forces for the purchase of unmanned marine drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, and armoured vehicles.
On 7 February 2025, a court controlled by Russian occupation forces in Sevastopol sentenced Roman Grigoryan to 12 years’ imprisonment.
Why do we consider Roman Grigoryan a political prisoner?
We consider the criminal prosecution of Roman Grigoryan unfounded and politically motivated. In international law, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is illegal and criminal. In this context, donations to the Ukrainian armed forces are not a crime. Assistance to Ukraine is intended to help that country repel military aggression, not undermine Russia’s security. Russia’s security is threatened by the war unleashed by the Russian authorities.
Grigoryan was critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and posted photos of protests in support of Ukraine. We believe such a point of view should be encouraged among the Russian public and that Grigoryan’s actions do not constitute a crime. In the case of a resident of annexed Crimea, who probably accepted Russian citizenship under duress, support for Ukraine is all the more natural. Prosecution for such support as treason is particularly outrageous.
A detailed description of Roman Grigoryan’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
If you have information about the penal colony in which Roman Grigoryan is being held, please let us know by e-mail at [email protected]
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
