Activist Marina Melikhova calls her criminal case political persecution

The court of appeal upheld the sentence of Marina Melikhova, a resident of Krasnodar, convicted under the article on discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces. The activist claimed that she was subjected to political persecution for her pacifist position and criticism of the country’s authorities.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in December 2023, a court sentenced Marina Melikhova to one and a half years of imprisonment, finding her guilty of discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

On June 27, the Krasnodar Territorial Court considered the appeal lodged by Marina Melikhova and upheld the verdict.

The convicted activist sees no sense in lodging a complaint “with the existing justice system in the Russian Federation.” Marina Melikhova has noted that after all she had experienced she feels like she is “too scared to live.”

“I was turned from a successful entrepreneur into a beggar, and if it weren’t for my relatives ... I would have died of hunger and poverty,” Marina Melikhova claimed.

Marina Melikhova has emphasized that the right to opinion is written into the Constitution of the Russian Federation and that “being a pacifist is not a crime.”

The activist noted that she had been running her own oil business for more than 20 years. The tax inspectorate accused Marina Melikhova of non-payment of 160 million roubles in taxes. The activist believes that the case was fabricated. According to her version, her political persecution began after the above accusation.

Earlier, Marina Melikhova had been convicted of public calls for extremist activities and served more than two years in prison, being released in the summer of 2022.

In prison, the activist continued to fight for her rights and made a video about her life in prison.

“As punishment, I was put in a punishment cell for 15 days ... It was cold, dark, and scary there. They gave me boiled herring to eat. It’s impossible to eat it even with terrible hunger ... There was a toilet in the cell, which was pointed at by two cameras ... It was terrible. I was crying because of my powerlessness and shame ... It was torture. But after it became public, after 15 days I was transferred to a warm cell with another political prisoner,” Marina Melikhova said.