Andrei Trofimov is a political prisoner
The activist has been sentenced to 10 years in a strict regime penal colony for anti-war posts and attempting to join the Free Russia Legion
The ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project, in accordance with international standards, considers Andrei Trofimov a political prisoner. Trofimov was convicted on charges of ‘spreading information known to be false’ about the Russian army and ‘inciting extremism’ for criticising Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as attempting to ‘participate in an unlawful armed group contrary to Russian interests’ for applying to join a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces. Trofimov was also subsequently charged with ‘justifying terrorism’ on the basis of his closing statement in court. Trofimov’s prosecution and conviction violated his rights to freedom of expression and a fair trial. We demand the immediate release of Andrei Trofimov and that all criminal charges against him be dropped.
Who is Andrei Trofimov and what were the charges against him?
Andrei Trofimov is a civil society activist and veteran of Russia’s democratic movement. In 1991 he took part in the defence of the Russian White House and in recent years has supported political prisoners.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trofimov published anti-war posts on his page on the VK social media site, describing civilian casualties in Ukraine and losses of the Russian army. In April 2022, he submitted an application to join the Free Russia Legion. In May 2022, he was detained at his dacha in Tver Oblast.
According to the prosecution, Trofimov’s posts included calls for extremism (Article 280, Part 2, of the Russian Criminal Code) and false information about the Russian army (Article 207.3, Part 2). He was also charged with attempting to join an armed group not provided for by Ukrainian law (Article 30, Part 1, in conjunction with Article 208, Part 2).
In court, Trofimov stated that he had written the truth, and that Ukraine has the right to self-defence. During the trial, he continued to criticise the Russian regime and the war it has launched, holding up signs saying ‘NO WAR’ and ‘PUTIN IS A DICKHEAD’, which led the judge to close proceedings to the public.
On 17 October 2023, Trofimov was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in a strict regime penal colony with 18 months’ probation on his release.
In June 2024, a new criminal investigation was opened against him for ‘public justification of terrorism’ (Article 205.2, Parts 1 & 2). The grounds for the charge were his courtroom speech, as well as publications on the Kasparov.ru website and the Telegram channel of Aleksandr Nevzorov, along with conversations with cellmates and detention centre staff.
Why do we consider Trofimov a political prisoner?
The article on spreading information known to be false about the Russian army was added to the Criminal Code shortly after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This law effectively bans any criticism of the authorities or the military, in violation of the right to freedom of expression. The law is also incompatible with the Russian Constitution, and therefore, any charges based on it are unlawful.
Trofimov’s calls to destroy ‘orcs’, which are the basis for the charge of inciting extremism, in reality amount to calls to resist Russian aggression. We believe such statements pose little genuine danger to the public and should not be grounds for criminal prosecution.
As for the charge of attempting to join the Free Russia Legion, this unit operates as part of the Ukrainian armed forces and acts within the law. Under international law, participation by Russian citizens in the Ukrainian military is not a crime.
The prosecution of Andrei Trofimov for ‘justifying terrorism’ is also unlawful. In his final statement in court, Trofimov referred to the Crimean Bridge explosion and drone strikes, which are acts of war, not terrorist attacks.
A detailed description of Andrei Trofimov’s case and of our position is available on our website.
Recognition of an individual as a political prisoner does not imply the ‘Political Prisoners. Memorial’ human rights project agrees with, or approves, their views, statements, or actions.
How can you help?
You can write to Andrei Trofimov at the following address:
RU 170100, г. Тверь, ул. Вагжанова, д. 141, ФКУ СИЗО-1 УФСИН России по Тверской области, Трофимову Андрею Николаевичу 1966 г. р.
EN: Andrei Nikolaevich Trofimov (born 1966), Remand Prison No. 1, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for Tver Oblast, 141 Vagzhanova Street, Tver, 170100, Russia.
You can also send emails via the F-Pismo and ZT services (for payment with Russian bank cards), PrisonMail (for payment with other bank cards), OVD-Info and Memorial-France (free of charge).
Please note that letters in languages other than Russian are highly unlikely to reach the recipient.
You can donate to help all political prisoners in Russia.
