One of Russia’s newest political prisoners lost his appeal to overturn a sentence of five years in prison.
Arseny was only 15 years old when he was detained in the summer 2023.
Authorities accused him of joining Freedom of Russia Legion, a paramilitary group composed of Russian volunteers who fight for Ukraine against the Russian Army.
Arseny, a member of the Freedom of Russia Legion, was sentenced to a five-year term in a juvenile colony. The court of appeal reduced the five-year sentence on Thursday, but only by 24 hours.
According to the Russian human rights organization OVD-Info, Arseny was one of nine minors facing politically motivated criminal charges following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He denies all charges. He claims he did research on the legion, but never applied. His mother Irina is also adamant that he’s innocent.
She told BBC: “I don’t know why the judge gave the sentence.”
Investigators also claim that Arseny distributed critical leaflets of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Legion’s name.
He admitted distributing leaflets, but denied that he followed any instructions.
Arseny openly criticised Vladimir Putin and Russia’s invasion in Ukraine at school.
He was also active on social media. He reposted content from Russian opposition figures, and shared his own content occasionally. One video shows him holding a picket alone in support of the late opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
His mother claims that he acted on his own and not under the orders of the Freedom of Russia Legion.
In late August 2023, the FSB (Russia’s security service) searched Arseny’s home in Livny 450km south of Moscow and confiscated all of his electronic devices.
The next day, he was called in for questioning. He was accused of joining Freedom of Russia Legion.
“I was hysterical. I was shaking and crying,” his mother says. “Arseny said to me: ‘Mum calm down. I didn’t do anything wrong, they’ll work it out.
Irina regrets that no lawyer was present at the time of the interrogation. She believes that the FSB added a confession to the transcript of Arseny’s guilt that he never made.
Investigators questioned some of Arseny’s schoolmates and they said that Arseny was known to criticise Putin, and Russia’s actions against Ukraine. In their statements, which the BBC has seen, none of them claimed that he was connected to the Freedom of Russia Legion.
Arseny, however, was arrested informally the following week.
Published on 20 August
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He was placed under house arrest for several months while he awaited his sentencing. He was then transferred to a Moscow prison in June last year, where he remains detained.
His mother claims that his weight has dropped since then from 69kg down to 52kg due to his constant stress and lack of appetite.
Irina noticed that he was emotionally withdrawn and often asked why he was punished for something he didn’t do.
Arseny had a violent cellmate for a while who would attack him, hit him in the head, and threaten him.
Irina and Arseny’s teachers spoke to the BBC and painted a picture that a highly intelligent, politically engaged young man faces many years in prison for a crime that he did not commit.
His mother said that Arseny was passionate about science from a very young age, especially physics and economics.
He had always dreamed of attending a prestigious Moscow University to study political science. “He wanted to make life better in Russia,” said his mother.
She said that her son developed a strong sense for justice after being bullied at school.
He was often mocked and called derogatory words because he was born and raised in Dubai, and his father was originally from the United Arab Emirates.
Irina claims that Arseny has no friends since his arrest, as they have all distanced themselves from him.
She claims that her neighbours and colleagues have even accused her of “raising a terrorist”.
They argue that if Arseny was truly innocent, the court would’ve acquitted Arseny. She believes that they don’t understand how the Russian justice system works.
Her standard response is that she hopes they never have the system to deal with themselves.
You’ll know if you try.
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