{"id":38823,"date":"2025-03-31T13:49:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T10:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/"},"modified":"2025-04-30T13:39:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T10:39:10","slug":"my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/","title":{"rendered":"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project, in accordance with<\/strong> international standards<\/strong><\/a>, considers Danil Berdyugin a political prisoner. Berdyugin was convicted on criminal charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and preparing to commit treason. Berdyugin\u2019s prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand that all criminal charges against Danil Berdyugin be dropped.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What were the charges against Danil Berdyugin?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 20 October 2022, Danil Berdyugin, an 18-year-old student at Novosibirsk Medical College, left his home without informing his parents. According to Berdyugin\u2019s mother, he later told her while already travelling that he intended to \u2018go to the front to help the wounded.\u2019 She herself believed he travelled to Kursk to meet his girlfriend who is from Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 24 October, Berdyugin was detained at a train station in Kursk. He was then subjected to a series of short jail terms on fabricated administrative-law charges, during which he was denied contact with his relatives and access to an independent lawyer. Subsequently, Berdyugin was charged with attempting to illegally cross the border (Article 30, Part 3, in conjunction with Article 322, Part 1, of the Russian Criminal Code) and with preparing to commit treason (Article 30, Part 1, in conjunction with Article 275). The investigative authorities claimed Berdyugin had tried to join the Free Russia Legion. His criminal case is entirely classified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 3 August 2023, Kursk Regional Court sentenced Berdyugin to six years in a strict regime penal colony, with an additional one year\u2019s probation on release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we consider Danil Berdyugin a political prisoner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Danil Berdyugin\u2019s case must be considered in the context of Russia\u2019s criminal war against Ukraine. The UN General Assembly has recognised Russia\u2019s actions as aggression. Russia\u2019s military actions against Ukraine are unlawful and criminal, while Ukraine\u2019s actions in defending itself from aggression are lawful and justified. Therefore, the participation of foreigners, including Russians, in military activities on Ukraine\u2019s side should not be regarded as a crime. While mercenary activity is nonetheless illegal, Berdyugin\u2019s possible involvement with the Free Russia Legion does not qualify as mercenary activity under international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, the maximum punishment for attempting to illegally cross the border is 18 months\u2019 imprisonment. Regardless, then, of the validity of the accusations, Berdyugin has already served any sentence relating to this charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the initiation of the criminal case, Berdyugin was repeatedly subjected to short terms in jail on administrative-law charges. Such \u2018carousel arrests\u2019 are a common method of putting pressure on the victims of politically motivated prosecutions and indirectly suggest the weakness of the prosecution\u2019s position. During the investigation, the authorities put pressure on Berdyugin and his parents were discouraged from hiring an independent lawyer. The hearings in his case were held behind closed doors, in violation of Berdyugin\u2019s right to a public and fair trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A detailed description of Danil Berdyugin\u2019s case and of our position is available on our website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can write to Danil Berdyugin at the following address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Russian: 429900, \u0427\u0443\u0432\u0430\u0448\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0420\u0435\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0430, \u0433. \u0426\u0438\u0432\u0438\u043b\u044c\u0441\u043a, \u0443\u043b. \u0421\u0435\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u0430\u044f, \u0434. 13, \u0424\u041a\u0423 \u0418\u041a-9 \u0423\u0424\u0421\u0418\u041d \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0427\u0443\u0432\u0430\u0448\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u0420\u0435\u0441\u043f\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0438\u043a\u0435, \u0411\u0435\u0440\u0434\u044e\u0433\u0438\u043d\u0443 \u0414\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043b\u0443 \u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0434\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447\u0443 2003 \u0433. \u0440.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In English: Danil Aleksandrovich Berdyugin (born 2003), Penal Colony No. 9, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Chuvash Republic, 13 Severnaya Street, Tsivilsk, Chuvash Republic, 429900, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also send emails via ZT<\/a> (for payment with Russian bank cards), OVD-Info<\/a> and Memorial-France<\/a> (free of charge).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can donate<\/a> to help all political prisoners in Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-38823","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-kursk-oblast","regions-novosibirsk-oblast","news-type-nashi-novosti-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDanil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Political prisoners support. Memorial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-30T10:39:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/\",\"name\":\"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-31T10:49:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-30T10:39:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/\",\"name\":\"\u041f\u043e\u0434\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0451\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0445. \u041c\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0430\u043b\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","description":"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","og_description":"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion","og_url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/","og_site_name":"Political prisoners support. Memorial","article_modified_time":"2025-04-30T10:39:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/","url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/","name":"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png","datePublished":"2025-03-31T10:49:07+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-30T10:39:10+00:00","description":"A student has been sentenced to six years in a strict regime penal colony on charges of attempting to illegally cross the border and join the Free Russia Legion","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/berdyugin-eng.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-danila-berdyugina\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0441\u0442\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0446\u0430","item":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u041d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438","item":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Danil Berdyugin is a political prisoner"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/","name":"\u041f\u043e\u0434\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0436\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0438\u0442\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043b\u044e\u0447\u0451\u043d\u043d\u044b\u0445. \u041c\u0435\u043c\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0430\u043b","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/38823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}