URGENT ACTION 
 
ARTIST’S DETENTION PROLONGED 
On 30 May a court extended the pretrial detention of artist Aleksandra Skochilenko until 1 July. Aleksandra Skochilenko was arrested on 11 April accused of replacing price tags with anti-war information in a supermarket in Saint Petersburg. She is charged with “disseminating knowingly false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces”. Aleksandra Skochilenko has a serious health condition and placing her in pre-trial detention where she is not getting the full appropriate diet and medical care puts her health and wellbeing at risk. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted. 

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

Melnik Viktor Dmitrievich 
Prosecutor of Saint Petersburg 
2/9 Pochtamtskaya street 
Saint Petersburg 
190000 
Russian Federation 

Dear Prosecutor, 
 
I am writing to urge you to stop the prosecution of Aleksandra Skochilenko under charges of “disseminating knowingly false information about the use of the Russian Armed Forces” (Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). She is accused of swapping price tags in a St. Petersburg supermarket for anti-war slogans, which would not constitute an internationally recognized crime. She was arrested on 11 April and interrogated until 3am the next morning. Aleksandra Skochilenko has a serious health condition and placing her in pre-trial detention where she is not getting the appropriate diet or medical care carries out serious risks for her health and wellbeing.  
 
Aleksandra Skochilenko is a songwriter and artist from Saint Petersburg. She is internationally famous for her work on destigmatizing mental illnesses that have helped many people inside and outside Russia.  
 
Aleksandra Skochilenko suffers from celiac disease (genetic gluten intolerance). If she consumes gluten, organ failure or oncological and autoimmune diseases may start to develop. According to her lawyer and media reports, the pre-trial detention centre can’t fully ensure the gluten-free diet and doesn’t lift the restrictions for food delivered by her family. This neglect of her health puts her in serious danger. 

In light of the above, I urge you to: 
-	Immediately drop the criminal case against Aleksandra Skochilenko and release her; 
-	Pending that, ensure that Aleksandra Skochilenko is held in conditions meeting international standards and provided with the adequate medical treatment she may require at the same standards of health care that are available in the community, including by urgently guaranteeing she can access an appropriate diet. 
 
Yours sincerely, 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 
Aleksandra Skochilenko is a songwriter and artist from St. Petersburg. She is accused of replacing price tags in local supermarkets with anti-war information, including about those killed during the shelling of the Mariupol Drama Theatre. 
 
On 11 April, police searched Aleksandra Skochilenko’s home, arrested and interrogated her until 3am the next morning. On 13 April, the Vasileostrovsky District Court placed her in pre-trial detention until 1 June 2022 (the term is likely to be extended). 
 
Aleksandra Skochilenko is accused of “public dissemination of deliberately false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the exercise by state bodies of the Russian Federation of their powers” under recently added Article 207.3 (2) of the Criminal Code. She faces 5 to 10 years in prison if convicted. 
Aleksandra Skochilenko is well-known in the art community: she writes songs, creates comic books and cartoons, organizes concerts and jam sessions. She also wrote the famous “Book About Depression” which helped many people and contributed to destigmatizing mental illnesses. The book has become extremely popular. It has been reprinted several times and translated into various languages. It also has inspired many videos and exhibitions.  
Aleksandra Skochilenko suffers from celiac disease and requires a special gluten-free diet. On 20 April it was reported that her health had deteriorated due to lack of access to adequate food. On 21 April her lawyer informed Amnesty International that the detention centre finally allowed a food parcel from her family more suitable for her. 
 
On 23 April she was transferred from a temporary detention centre to a pre-trial detention centre. 
 
On 25 April one of Aleksandra Skochilenko’s lawyers visited her in the pre-trial detention centre and reported that her health condition was getting worse, as she was not being able to eat as she is not provided with the diet she requires, and she has not been allowed food provided by her family either. She feels weak much of the time. She is also being subjected to psychological pressure from detention centre guards and her cellmates, and she has to cope with unsanitary conditions and cold in her cell. 
 
On 7 May, after the above information was shared with the media, Aleksandra’s conditions in detention were improved. She is provided with gluten-free food at least once a day. However, she is unable to have either breakfast or dinner. On the day of her last trial she was unable to eat anything all day. Aleksandra lost a lot of weight while in detention which creates risks for a person with her disease.   
 
In addition to that, the investigation made her partner a witness in her criminal trial. That means that they cannot see each other. Her partner made a few claims but the investigator declined all of them. 

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Russian 
You can also write in your own language. 
 
PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 4 August 2022 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline. 
 
NAME AND PREFFERED PRONOUN: Aleksandra Skochilenko (she, her) 

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur46/5525/2022/en/  

ADDITIONAL TARGET 

Mr Andrei Kelin  
Embassy of the Russian Federation 
6/7 Kensington Palace Gardens, London, W8 4QP
Fax: 020 7727 8625 
Email: kanc@rusemb.org.uk