Yevgeny Melikhov is a political prisoner
A man from Chelyabinsk has been sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony for the online comment ‘Death to Putin’
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Yevgeny Melikhov a political prisoner. Melikhov was convicted of incitement to terrorism for a comment he posted on Telegram. The criminal prosecution and conviction of Melikhov violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand that Yevgeny Melikhov be released and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
What were the charges against Yevgeny Melikhov?
In September 2023, Melikhov posted a comment, ‘Death to Putin,’ on the Telegram channel Insider UA | News | Ukraine beneath a news item about power cuts in Ukraine following Russian strikes.
In late January 2024, Melikhov was charged with publicly inciting terrorism online (Article 205.2, Part 2, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), his comment being deemed an incitement to an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation. Melikhov’s home was searched in February, and his mobile phone was seized. Melikhov admitted writing the comment but stated he had done so in a state of severe emotional distress caused by the war and had not intended to incite violence. Pending trial, Melikhov was released under a travel ban.
On 27 June 2024, Yevgeny Melikhov was sentenced to five and a half years in a general regime penal colony. He was taken into custody in the courtroom.
Why do we consider Yevgeny Melikhov a political prisoner?
Melikhov was prosecuted on a charge of justifying terrorism for an emotional statement made during a discussion of the war in Ukraine and its consequences for civilians. The comment was figurative and rhetorical in nature; it contained no explicit calls to action, was not addressed to a specific audience, and was not intended to incite anyone to commit acts of violence. Melikhov is not a public figure or an authority among the readers of the Telegram channel in question. The court did not establish that the statement posed a genuine danger to the public or that there was a likelihood it would have negative consequences.
A criminal prosecution, still less imprisonment, for such a comment is disproportionate to the danger it poses to society. The criminal law was here used as a means of intimidation and retaliation for criticism of the war and the authorities’ actions. Such criminal cases contravene Russian and international law. They have become part of a systematic practice of persecution for online speech.
A detailed description of Yevgeny Melikhov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
How can you help?
You can write to Yevgeny Melikhov at the following address:
RU:
Российская Федерация, 456656, Челябинская область, г. Копейск, пос. Железнодорожный, ул. Электровозная, ФКУ ИК-11 ГУФСИН России по Челябинской области, Мелихов Евгений Юрьевич, 1994 г. р.
EN:
Yevgeny Yurievich Melikhov (born 1994), Penal Colony No. 11, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Chelyabinsk Oblast, Elektrovoznaya Street, Zheleznodorozhny, Kopeysk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, 456656, Russia.
You can also send emails via F-Pismo (for payment with Russian bank cards), ZT (for payment with all bank cards), and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
