{"id":40171,"date":"2025-04-11T13:38:19","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T10:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-valeriya-perova\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T18:01:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T15:01:05","slug":"my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-valeriya-perova","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-valeriya-perova\/","title":{"rendered":"Valery Perov is a political prisoner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><em>An electrician from Nizhny Novgorod has been sentenced to 11 years in a general regime penal colony on charges of justifying terrorism and collusion with a foreign organisation for posts and correspondence on Telegram<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong>The \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project, in accordance with <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/guidelines-on-definition-of-political-prisoner\/\"><strong>international standards<\/strong><\/a><strong>, considers Valery Perov a political prisoner. Perov was convicted, on the basis of posts and correspondence on Telegram, of collusion with a foreign organisation in activities knowingly directed against Russian security and of publicly justifying terrorism. Perov\u2019s prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Valery Perov and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/perov-eng.png\" alt=\"Valery Perov is a political prisoner\" class=\"wp-image-40173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/perov-eng.png 1200w, https:\/\/memopzk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/perov-eng-768x403.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What were the charges against Valery Perov?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 5 October 2023, FSB officers disguised as electricians forced their way into Valery Perov\u2019s apartment. While his wife was physically restrained, Perov was beaten with a stun gun. During the search, the law enforcement officers seized a mobile phone, a traumatic pistol and a Ukrainian flag. The following day, Perov was remanded in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the prosecution, Perov had allegedly contacted the Free Russia Legion and the Ukrainian project \u2018I Want to Live\u2019 via Telegram, offering to gather information and encourage Russian soldiers to surrender. These actions were interpreted by the investigative authorities as \u2018collusion with a foreign organisation for the purpose of assisting it in activities knowingly directed against the security of the Russian Federation\u2019 (Article 275.1 of the Russian Criminal Code).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, he was charged with public justification of terrorism (Article 205.2, Part 2), based on claims that he had posted comments in support of the Free Russia Legion on Telegram channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perov denied all allegations, stating he had no contact with either named group, did not post anything about the Legion, and that the phone allegedly seized during the search had been planted on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 24 October 2024, a military court sentenced Valery Perov to 11 years\u2019 imprisonment in a general regime penal colony, a fine of 500,000 roubles, and one year\u2019s probation on his release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why do we consider Valery Perov a political prisoner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The offence of \u2018collusion\u2019 was introduced into the Russian Criminal Code in July 2022 and has become yet another means of suppressing dissent. Its vague wording effectively criminalises almost any communication between Russian citizens and foreigners. This article of the Criminal Code must be rescinded, all related criminal convictions quashed, and ongoing prosecutions closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We consider the designation of the Free Russia Legion as a terrorist organisation unlawful and unfounded. Therefore, even if Perov had expressed support for the Legion, this would constitute support for the Ukrainian armed forces resisting Russian military aggression, not justification of terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, in the trial, it was not proven that Perov committed the acts with which he had been charged. The only witness who gave testimony against him was an FSB officer. Perov\u2019s claim that the phone was planted on him was not adequately investigated. The weak evidential basis suggests the case may have been fabricated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A detailed description of Valery Perov\u2019s case and of our position is available on our <a href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/figurant\/perov-valerij-valerevich\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project agrees with, or approves of, their views, statements, or actions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How can you help?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You <a href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/donate\/\">can donate<\/a> to help all political prisoners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-40171","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-nizhny-novgorod-oblast","news-type-nashi-novosti-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Valery Perov is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. 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