Free Sasha Skochilenko!

Sasha will stay in detention till July 10, 2023

Next hearing on April 20

Artist and musician Sasha Skochilenko faces up to 10 years in prison for placing several anti-war stickers in a supermarket. Due to her health conditions, this term can become a death sentence to her. We demand freedom for Sasha.
a few words about sasha
Who is Sasha Skochilenko?
"Whatever my prosecutors try to do to me, however they attempt to drag me through the mud, humiliate me, put me in the most inhumane conditions, I will only take the brightest, the most incredible and beautiful things from this experience—that is what the essence of being an artist is"

From the first letter by Sasha, written on April 15, 2022
Sasha Skochilenko is an artist and musician from St. Petersburg. In 2014, Sasha published an educational comic book which later became A Book about Depression. Sasha was one of the first Russians to openly talk about her experience of life and struggle with this disease. Later, she created comic books about the symptoms of bipolar affective disorder, living with anxiety and other mental conditions. Sasha’s illustrations on mental health can be found in the book Bipolar Disorder by Masha Pushkina, as well as on social media of nonprofit organizations such as Partnership of the Equals and Bipolar Explorers Association. Sasha’s own account where she publishes her art has over 3,000 followers.
A Book about Depression, voiced by the Paper newspaper team and Sasha's friends
The “special military operation”, which the Russian government started in Ukraine, affected Sasha deeply. Since the very first days of the war, the artist wrote pacifistic posts, drew postcards calling for peace. During one of her peaceful protest actions, Sasha replaced price tags in a supermarket for stickers with information on the actions of the Russian military in Mariupol, Ukraine. This is what her criminal case is based on.
You can download all Sasha’s postcards here
Sasha’s criminal case
What is Sasha accused of?
"I feel that I can no longer stay silent. I get information from people I got acquainted to through my book, from real people in Ukraine: there are bombs falling and there are casualties. This is the reality. You can’t possibly fake anything like that. There are living, breathing people and they ask us to let the truth be heard. All that I learned from working with Ukrainians is that we are no different from each other, we experience the same feelings and states"

From Sasha's post on February 27, 2022

Sasha Skochilenko was detained on April 11th, 2022 in St Petersburg for replacing price tags in a Perekrestok supermarket with stickers imitating price labels. These stickers contained information on the actions of the Russian military in Mariupol, Ukraine—information which Russian authorities consider to be "knowingly false". A store customer reported this to the police, and Sasha was charged with a criminal offense under the article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the execution by the state organs of the Russian Federation of their legal powers

Sasha is charged with part D of this article—"motivation of political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred or enmity, or motivation of hatred or enmity towards a particular social group."

This part of the article calls for a punishment of up to 10 years of imprisonment.


St Petersburg courts have already put seven people in custody on similar charges of "public dissemination of knowingly false information". Their names are Maria Ponomarenko, Olga Smirnova, Viktoria Petrova, Boris Romanov, Vsevolod Korolyov, Oleg Belousov, rev. John Kurmoyarov, and Evgeny Bestuzhev.

The court chose detention until May 31st, 2022 as a pre-trial measure, even though the defense filed a motion for a less severe pre-trial measure. The defense provided personal guarantees as well as legal documents for the apartment where Sasha could stay under house arrest. But the court believed that since Sasha has relatives and friends abroad, she could escape the investigation.

Sasha suffers from celiac disease—a genetic intolerance to gluten. It is practically impossible to maintain a strict diet that is required, while in detention, and malnutrition may cause complications that can be as grave as cancer. It was only on May 7 when Sasha could confirm that she was receiving hot food—for almost a month, she had to wholly rely on limited parcels.

In this month, Sasha has faced the horrifying conditions of the detention center. She was bullied by her cellmates who insulted her, did not let her eat, and made her wash all of her clothes every day. At the detention center, Sasha underwent a surgery where her wisdom tooth was removed; however, the incision wasn’t closed, and Sasha’s lymph node was inflamed as a result. She was not provided with painkillers in due quantities and was not allowed to receive them in a parcel.

Sasha has also been diagnosed with cyclothymic disorder (DSM-5 301.13 (F34.0)). This subtype of bipolar disorder sees the person suffer significant mood swings and severe depressive symptoms. The stress Sasha experiences at the detention center may cause an aggravation of the state of her mental health.

Psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and other mental health experts have spoken out in support of Alexandra. The petition for her pre-trial measure to be changed has gathered over 140,000 signatures.

Per the last court decision, Sasha will remain in custody till July 10, 2023.

LET'S HELP SASHA TOGETHER
How can I help?
  • Talk about Sasha
    Share news on Sasha’s case with your friends and relatives, explain why these proceedings should be stopped immediately. All the recent news are in our Telegram channel.
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  • Donate
    We have collected more than a million rubles. With this money we pay for the lawyers, doctors, and therapists, and also clothe and feed Sasha (and her cats). We are grateful to each donor! If you choose to become one, please contact us at free@skochilenko.ru
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  • Come to the court
    The next court hearing will be held on April 20, at 13:30 p.m., at the Vasileostrovsky District Court of St. Petersburg (55 Sredniy prospect V.O.). Come to support Sasha!
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Write Sasha a letter
Anyone can write a letter to a political prisoner using the FSIN-PISMO system.


You can also write a paper letter or send books to Sasha using her address at the Detention Center Five:

FKU SIZO-5 UFSIN Rossii po Sankt-Peterburgu i Leningradskoi oblasti
Skochilenko Alexandra Yurievna, born 1990
Arsenalnaya st., 11
St. Petersburg
195009 Russia
news
Art and actions in support of Sasha
Read about Sasha's case
An account of the first six months Sasha spent in jail
Sasha's letter on her mental health state 
Sasha remembers the most significant experiences of her 31 years
Sasha's first letter from jail
Sasha's reply to your letters
Sasha's letter from jail
For any questions, please contact us at
free@skochilenko.ru