Two poets, Artyom Kamadarin and Yegor Shtovba, are still imprisonedAs of Friday, because of reading anti-war poems. This has been an ongoing case since December 2023, in which a Moscow court sentenced Kamardin to seven years in prison and Shtovba to five and a half years in prison.
The Russian court said the participation of both poets in an anti-war event led to a criminal investigation and ultimately to criminal charges under Articles 282(2)(v) and 280.4(3). criminal code“Invitation to take measures against state security” for “incitement to hatred or enmity or degradation of the dignity of a person or a group of persons, committed by an organized group”.
The United Nations expressed concerns about the ongoing lack of freedom of expression in Russia and the use of the legislation and judicial system to promote this ongoing tyranny against individuals, which subsequently harms the rule of law. Mariana KatazrovaThe UN special rapporteur said: “The verdict by Moscow’s Tverskoy District Court reveals systemic problems regarding the integrity of Russia’s law enforcement and judicial systems and their use to suppress dissent and criticism, particularly with regard to Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
This is significant because this is not a singular event. September 2022 was Russia reported Using prison cells to torture a Ukrainian soldier. This can be seen in the current case of Amnesty International found Kamardin “was reportedly subjected to torture, including sexual violence,” in violation of international laws such as the European Convention on Human Rights Article 3making torture illegal.
This reign of constant abuse of power by the state is facilitated by the lack of checks and balances by the individual branches, which subsequently leads to tyranny and the collapse of the rule of law. Without independent judicial oversight or meaningful accountability mechanisms, the state can act without inhibition, silencing opposition and undermining fundamental human rights that are essential to maintaining a fair and just legal system.
