{"id":57444,"date":"2025-09-02T14:33:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T11:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-andreya-kuzmichyova\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T15:06:02","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T12:06:02","slug":"my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-andreya-kuzmichyova","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-andreya-kuzmichyova\/","title":{"rendered":"Andrei Kuzmichyov is a political prisoner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>A systems administrator from St Petersburg has been sentenced to three years\u2019 in a general regime penal colony for \u2018collusion\u2019 with foreign nationals<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><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 criteria<\/strong><\/a><strong>, considers Andrei Kuzmichyov a political prisoner. Kuzmichyov was convicted on a criminal charge of \u2018collusion with a foreign state or organisation\u2019 for alleged contacts with foreigners. Kuzmichyov\u2019s criminal prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Andrei Kuzmichyov and the dropping of all criminal charges against him.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What were the charges against Andrei Kuzmichyov?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrei Kuzmichyov is a systems administrator from St Petersburg whose prosecution only became public knowledge after the court delivered a guilty verdict in his case. During the investigation, he was held in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On 13 November 2024, a court in St Petersburg sentenced him to three years in a general regime penal colony on a charge of \u2018collusion with a foreign state or organisation directed against Russian security\u2019 (Article 275.1 of the Russian Criminal Code). The trial was held in camera on the grounds that, as the court\u2019s press release stated, \u2018the case was classified as \u201cTop Secret\u201d.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kuzmichyov fully admitted guilt and expressed remorse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why do we consider Andrei Kuzmichyov a political prisoner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law on \u2018collusion\u2019 was introduced into the Russian Criminal Code in July 2022 and has become yet another means for the authorities to target so-called \u2018internal enemies.\u2019 The provisions of this law violate the principle of legal certainty. In effect, it criminalises any contact with foreigners. It provides for punishment, not for specific actions, but merely for a supposed intention to \u2018assist\u2019 in some undefined \u2018activity.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The law on \u2018collusion\u2019 should be repealed, all related criminal convictions quashed, and charges dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Kuzmichyov\u2019s actions had constituted an actual crime, and if the investigative authorities had had sufficient evidence, he would have faced a different criminal charge. The use of the law on \u2018collusion\u2019 allows the security services to intimidate society and avoid the need to prove the guilt of the accused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A detailed description of Andrei Kuzmichyov&#8217;s case and of our position is available on our<a href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/figurant\/kuzmichev-andrej-vladimirovich\/\"> website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the project \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How can you help?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><em>You can write to Andrei Kuzmichyov at the following address:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RU: 196641, \u0433. \u0421\u0430\u043d\u043a\u0442-\u041f\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0431\u0443\u0440\u0433, \u043f. \u041c\u0435\u0442\u0430\u043b\u043b\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0439, \u0421\u0435\u0432\u0435\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0439 \u043f\u0440-\u0434 1-\u0439, \u0434. 1, \u0424\u041a\u0423 \u0418\u041a-5 \u0413\u0423\u0424\u0421\u0418\u041d \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0433. \u0421\u0430\u043d\u043a\u0442-\u041f\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0431\u0443\u0440\u0433\u0443 \u0438 \u041b\u0435\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0433\u0440\u0430\u0434\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u0431\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438, \u041a\u0443\u0437\u044c\u043c\u0438\u0447\u0451\u0432 \u0410\u043d\u0434\u0440\u0435\u0439 \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447, 1980 \u0433. \u0440.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>EN: Kuzmichyov Andrei Vladimirovich (born 1980), Penal Colony No. 5, Federal Penitentiary Service for the City of St Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, 1 Pervy Severny Proezd, Metallostroy, St. Petersburg, 196641, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also send emails via the <a href=\"https:\/\/zt.ru\/services\/letter\/payments-letter\">ZT<\/a> service (for payment with Russian bank cards), <a href=\"https:\/\/prisonmail.online\/\">PrisonMail<\/a> (for payment with foreign bank cards), <a href=\"https:\/\/f-pismo.ru\/letter\/department\">F-Pismo<\/a> (for payment with all bank cards), and <a href=\"https:\/\/memorial-france.org\/prisonniere-s-politiques\/\">Memorial-France<\/a> (free of charge).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the intended recipient.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You <a href=\"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/donate\/\">can donate<\/a> to help all political prisoners in Russia.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-57444","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-saint-petersburg","news-type-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Andrei Kuzmichyov is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. 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