Rights defenders declare Vladimir Yarotsky, Krasnodar resident, as political prisoner

The criminal case against Vladimir Yarotsky under the article on Nazism rehabilitation is politically motivated; and the article under which he is being prosecuted mismatches the Russian Constitution and international legal norms, the human rights project "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" has stated, demanding that Yarotsky be released.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in January, 2024, a court in Krasnodar sentenced Vladimir Yarotsky to 1.5 years in colony, treating the image of the Saint George ribbon posted by him in a social network as desecration of a military glory symbol.

Later in March, a new case against Yarotsky was submitted for consideration to the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don; he was accused of incitement to terrorism. The court found him guilty of incitement to terrorism and sentenced him to a fine of 350,000 roubles.

Human rights defenders have noted that the post for which Yarotsky received his colony term was of a pacifist nature, while being presented by the pro-government media as a "vulgar hooligan act." "The sentence imposed on Yarotsky in the form of 1.5-year-long jail is not in line with the severity of offences imputed to him, even if they actually contained signs of some kind of offense," the project's website has states.

"The criminal case ... against Vladimir Yarotsky is politically motivated; it is aimed at punishing critics of the government, as well as intimidating the society as a whole," human rights defenders have concluded.