Tuesday, December 24, 2024

ASSASSINATION!

Russian anarchist found dead in his cell hours after sentencing

Dec
22
2024
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From Freedom News UK

Roman Shvedov was given sixteen years in prison—authorities claim suicide

~ Nikita Ivansky ~

On 18 December Rostov military court sentenced anarchist Roman Shvedov to sixteen years of penal colony for attacking an administrative building in protest against the war in Ukraine. Five hours after the sentencing, Shvedov was found dead in his cell by a prison guard. The official explanation of the Russian authorities is suicide. However, it is unclear what actually happened, as there is very little information known so far.

The Russian state accused Shvedov of throwing a petrol canister into the administration building of Zimovnisky district, Rostov Oblast in September 2022. According to Russian secret police, he did this to “destabilize authority, influence their decisions, and protest against the special military operation and mobilization in Russia”. He was sentenced under terrorist charges, in another attempt to scare those contemplating further resistance to the war. In 2023 Shvedov denied any legal support from Solidarity Zone and it was suggested that “he will rot in prison and there is nothing that can be done to help him.”

Russian human rights organization OVD Info reports that, as of September 2024, there were at least 1,116 criminal cases against anti-war dissidents. According to a recent UN report “since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, torture has become a State-sanctioned tool of systematic oppression, used to control and to stifle dissent, and attack the foundations of human rights and civic space in Russia”

Submitted by anon (not verified) on Sun, 12/22/2024 - 09:48

Media reports on suicide in pretrial detention facility of Rostov anarchist Roman Shvedov
December 20, 2024

As SHOT reports, 39-year-old Roman Shvedov was found dead on December 18 in a solitary confinement cell during lunch rounds, about 5 hours after the verdict was handed down. There was a rolled-up bed sheet nearby. Before his death, his defense had filed appeals to reduce his sentence, but they were denied twice.

As we have already reported, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced local anarchist Roman Shvedov to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony for setting fire to an administration building. He was found guilty under the article on committing a terrorist act that resulted in significant property damage or other serious consequences (clause "b" of Part 2 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code).

According to investigators, on September 26, 2022, at about 3 a.m., Roman approached the building of the Zimovnikovsky District Administration of the Rostov Region and threw a can of gasoline into the window of the office of the head of the construction and improvement department. The regional FSB department believes that Shvedov did this "in order to destabilize the activities of government bodies, influence their decision-making, express protest against the special military operation to protect the DPR and LPR and partial mobilization in Russia."

Initially, it was reported that the anarchist was charged with intentional damage to property (Article 167 of the Criminal Code), but then the charge was reclassified to committing a terrorist act (Part 1 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code). During the investigation, the charge was increased once more - to point "b" of Part 2 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code.

In March 2023, the anti-war human rights initiative " Solidarity Zone " found out that Roman was being held in Rostov-on-Don's SIZO-1 and sent a lawyer to him. Shvedov said that he was an anarchist and felt very bad morally. At the same time, the prisoner flatly refused legal assistance and said that "he would rot in prison and it was impossible to help him." He asked to provide assistance to those who needed it more.

SOTAvision published a video of Roman Shvedov's interrogation after his arrest.

We will follow further information about Roman Shvedov.

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