URGENT ACTION

PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE EXPECTS PAROLE DECISION
On 22 October Dmitrovgrad Town Court, in Ulyanovsk Region, western Russia, will consider the parole application of youth human rights defender Yan Sidorov. Both he and his friend Vladislav Mordasov are prisoners of conscience, serving sentences of over six years, simply for trying to organise a peaceful protest in November 2017 in support of dozens of Rostov-on-Don residents who had lost their houses in mass fires.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Acting Head of the penal colony IK-10
Lt.-Col. Bobrovskiy Stanislav Victorovich
IK-10 UFSIN of Russia for Ulyanovsk Region
Ul. Promyshlennaya, d.3, Dmitrovgrad
Ulyanovsk Region, Russia 433510
Email: ik10@73.fsin.su
Dear Lt.-Col. Bobrovskiy,

I am writing to you concerning human rights defender and prisoner of conscience Yan Sidorov who is serving his sentence at IK-10. On 22 October, Dmitrovgrad Town Court will consider his parole application. 

Yan Sidorov and his friend Vladislav Mordasov were arrested on 5 November 2017 for trying to organise a peaceful protest in support of dozens of Rostov-on-Don residents who had lost their houses in mass fires. Yan Sidorov was 18 years old at the time and Vladislav Mordasov was 21 years old. They had committed no crime and were falsely charged with “organizing mass disturbances”. Nonetheless, following unfair trial, on 4 October 2019 Rostov-on-Don Regional Court found them guilty and sentenced them, respectively, to six years and seven months and six years and six months in strict regime penal colony. On 10 December 2019, the Third Court of Appeal in Rostov-on-Don, upheld their convictions.

Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov are prisoners of conscience as their only “wrongdoing” was their intention to exercise peacefully their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and to speak up in support of others. They should be released immediately and unconditionally, and their convictions should be quashed.

As the head of the administration of the colony where Yan Sidorov is serving his sentence, you will be providing his character reference, and you have the authority to support his application for parole. This is an opportunity to begin to rectify the injustice done to this young person, and I urge you to do so by supporting Yan Sidorov’s application for parole. 

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

In a series of mass fires in Rostov-on-Don in July and August 2017, more than 160 houses were destroyed, one person died, and dozens suffered injuries. Around 700 people were officially recognised as victims. While some compensation for the loss of property has been paid, the authorities did not allow people to build new houses on the same plots of land and did not pay compensation for the loss of their land, which in turn prompted rumours that the fire may have been started deliberately to evict the residents and clear the site for new developments. 
On 5 November 2017, 18-year-old college student Yan Sidorov and 21-year-old Vladislav Mordasov came to the square in front of the Rostov-on-Don Region administration to hold a peaceful picket in support of the victims of Rostov fires. They had several printed leaflets, a loudspeaker and two rolled up handwritten posters that they had made the day before. The posters read: “Return the land to victims of Rostov fires” and “The government should resign”. Even before they could start the picket, police arrested them for holding an “unlawful gathering”. On the same day, police arrested 18-year-old Viacheslav Shashmin outside a block of flats close by. Viacheslav Shashmin claims that he did not know Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov at the time and did not participate in their picket. 
On 6 November 2017, Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov were sentenced in separate proceedings to seven days of “administrative detention” each under Article 20.2, part 2, of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences (“Organization or conduct of a public event without proper notification of the authorities of this event”). Both were then remanded in custody as criminal suspects. Viacheslav Shashmin was given five days of “administrative detention” on spurious charges of “petty hooliganism” under Article 20.1 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences. He was later placed under house arrest, and then under travel restrictions. While in police custody, Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov were reportedly subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in an attempt to extract “confessions” that they were going to organize a violent demonstration. 
On 17 November 2017, Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov were falsely charged with the crimes of “attempting to organize mass disturbances” (Article 30, part 3, Article 212, part 1, of the Russian Criminal Code) and “attempting to participate in mass disturbances” (Article 30, part, 3, Article 212, part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code). Viacheslav Shashmin was charged with “attempting to participate in mass disturbances”. 
The trial of the three young men started in Rostov-on-Don regional court on 29 May 2019. During the trial, at least a third of the prosecution’s witnesses refused to confirm their earlier testimonies given during the pre-trail investigation and stated that they had given them under pressure from the investigators. The charges were manifestly false, and the trial of the three men was unfair. On 4 October, Rostov-on-Don Regional Court found Yan Sidorov and Vladislav Mordasov guilty of “organizing” and Viacheslav Shashmin of participating in “mass disturbances” on 5 November 2017. The Court sentenced Yan Sidorov to six years and six months and Vladislav Mordasov to six years and seven months in a strict regime penal colony (a type of penal colony reserved for those convicted of most serious crimes). Viacheslav Shashmin was handed a three-year suspended (non-custodial) sentence. On 10 December 2019, the Third Court of Appeal in Rostov-on-Don upheld Yan Sidorov’s and Vladislav Mordasov’s convictions. 
PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Russian.
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 22 October 2020
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Yan Sidorov (he/him)

And copies to:

His Excellency Andrei Kelin 
Embassy of the Russian Federation (Main Building)
6/7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QP
0207 229 6412
Fax 0207 727 8625 
kanc@rusemb.org.uk
www.rusemb.org.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE

Head of the Prosecutor's Office in Ulyanovsk region
Khurtin Sergei Anatolievich
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ul_proc/ 
Twitter: @ul_proc
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/genprocrf/# 

Head of the FSIN in Ulyanovsk region
Ryabkov Andrei Vladimirovich
Twitter: @ufsin_73
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/73ufsin/ 

SAMPLE MESSAGES IN ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN:

1)Yan Sidorov was sent to jail for peaceful protest in support of people who’d lost their homes in fire. He is no criminal and no danger to the society. Support his parole!

Ян Сидоров в тюрьме за мирный протест в поддержку людей, потерявших жилье во время пожара. Он не преступник и не представляет опасности для общества. Поддержите его прошение об УДО

2) Yan Sidorov has committed no crime and his place is not in prison. Support his parole.

Ян Сидоров – не преступник и не должен быть в тюрьме. Поддержите его прошение об УДО.

3) Yan Sidorov protested peacefully and has committed no crime. You have a chance to right the wrong. Support his parole.

Ян Сидоров участвовал в мирном протесте и не совершил никакого преступления. У Вас есть шанс исправить несправедливость. Поддержите его прошение об УДО

4) Will you let Yan Sidorov – a young man who has committed no crime – be wasted in jail or support his parole and his freedom? The choice is yours.

Позволите ли Вы Яну Сидорову – молодому человеку, не совершившему преступления – прозябать в неволе или поддержите его прошение об УДО и его свободу? Выбор за Вами