{"id":62855,"date":"2025-12-29T13:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T10:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/news\/my-schitaem-politzaklyuchyonnym-mihaila-lazakovicha\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T23:47:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:47:01","slug":"mikhail-lazakovich-is-a-political-prisoner","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/memopzk.org\/en\/news\/mikhail-lazakovich-is-a-political-prisoner\/","title":{"rendered":"Mikhail Lazakovich is a political prisoner"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A student from Tver has been sentenced to nine and a half years in a strict regime penal colony for setting fire to a military recruitment centre<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Political Prisoners. Memorial\u2019 human rights project, in accordance with<\/strong> international standards<\/strong><\/a>, considers Mikhail Lazakovich a political prisoner. Lazakovich was convicted on a charge of committing a terrorist act for setting fire to a military recruitment centre. Lazakovich\u2019s prosecution and conviction violated his right to a fair trial. We demand that his conviction on the terrorism charge be quashed and that his case be reheard in a fair trial, in compliance with international legal standards. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What was the charge against Mikhail Lazakovich?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mikhail Lazakovich, who studied at a financial and economic college in Tver, opposed Russia\u2019s war on Ukraine. On the night of 7\u20138 May 2023, he travelled to Likhoslavl in Tver Oblast, splashed petrol on the wall of the local military recruitment centre and set it alight. The fire was extinguished by a police officer on duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the arson attack on the military recruitment centre, a criminal case was opened on a charge of \u2018attempted intentional destruction or damage to property\u2019 (Article 30, Part 3, of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation in conjunction with Article 167, Part 2, CC RF). On 9 May 2023, Lazakovich was detained. The following day, the charge was reclassified as a terrorist act (Article 205 CC RF) and Lazakovich was remanded in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a search of Lazakovich\u2019s home, police officers found a plastic container containing a human skull. It transpired that Lazakovich had dug up the grave of an unknown woman with a probable intention to make a bowl out of the skull. He was then also charged with \u2018desecration of the bodies of the deceased and their burial sites\u2019 (Article 244, Part 1, CC RF). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 24 April 2024, Lazakovich was found guilty as charged. He was sentenced to 11 years\u2019 imprisonment on the charge of terrorism and fined 40,000 roubles on the charge of desecration of bodies of the deceased. On 21 August 2024, the Court of Appeal reduced the sentence on the terrorism charge to nine and a half years\u2019 imprisonment, with the first three years to be served in a cell-type prison and the remainder in a strict regime penal colony. The court reduced the fine on the charge of desecration of bodies of the deceased to 20,000 roubles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why do we consider Mikhail Lazakovich a political prisoner?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The charge against Mikhail Lazakovich of committing an act of terrorism was politically motivated. The arson attack on the military recruitment centre was incorrectly classified as a terrorist act. It was not proven that Lazakovich\u2019s aim had been to intimidate the public, which is an essential element for a conviction of terrorism. Furthermore, the motive of anti-war protest, in our view, mitigates the danger his actions posed to society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lazakovich\u2019s actions were initially correctly classified as an attempt to intentionally destroy or damage property. The maximum penalty for this offence is five years\u2019 imprisonment, and in the case of an attempt no more than three years and nine months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Mikhail Lazakovich\u2019s actions which led to the charge of desecration of bodies of the deceased and their burial sites were immoral and unacceptable. The fine imposed was a fair punishment, the legality of which we do not dispute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

You can write to Mikhail Lazakovich at the following address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RU:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0439\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0424\u0435\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0446\u0438\u044f, 600020, \u0433. \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440, \u0443\u043b. \u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0430\u044f \u041d\u0438\u0436\u0435\u0433\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0434\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f, \u0434. 67, \u0424\u041a\u0423 \u0422-2 \u0423\u0424\u0421\u0418\u041d \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0412\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u0431\u043b\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0438, \u041b\u0430\u0437\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u041c\u0438\u0445\u0430\u0438\u043b \u0421\u0435\u0440\u0433\u0435\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0447, 2004 \u0433. \u0440. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

EN:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mikhail Sergeevich Lazakovich (born 2004), Prison No. 2, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Vladimir Oblast, 67 Bolshaya Nizhegorodskaya Street, Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast, 600020, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also send emails via ZT<\/a> (for payment with all bank cards) 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\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-62855","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","regions-tver-oblast","news-type-press-releases"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMikhail Lazakovich is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. Memorial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A student from Tver has been sentenced to nine and a half years in a strict regime penal colony for setting fire to a military recruitment centre\" \/>\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\/mikhail-lazakovich-is-a-political-prisoner\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mikhail Lazakovich is a political prisoner - Political prisoners support. 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