Photo: Amnesty International.
Our Taking a Stand theme is all about supporting Freedom of Conscience. Darya is one activist who stood up for what she believes in, and faced a terrible price – let’s call for her freedom!
Darya Poliudova lives in a small town in southern Russia where she is well known locally for her activism. On the Russian social network VKontakte, Darya posted photos of herself carrying political banners such as ‘No war with Ukraine but revolution in Russia’. In another post she blamed Putin for ‘acts of terror and catastrophes in Russia’.
On 29 August 2014 Darya was arrested and held in pre-trial detention. The authorities claimed these posts and others amounted to ‘calls to commit extremist activities’ and ‘calls to commit actions threatening the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation’.
Darya was sentenced on 21 December 2015 to two years’ imprisonment in an open prison colony. She insists that she only exercised her right to freedom of expression and appealed the sentence, but this was unsuccessful. Amnesty International believes that Darya is a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned simply for expressing her beliefs.
Pop into Peace Hub to learn more about prisoners of conscience, and sign the petition to free Darya.
The petition calls on the Russian governement to:
- immediately withdraw the charges pressed against Darya in connection with her peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression;
- respect and protect the right to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association without discrimination of any kind;
- end persecution of Darya and others in Russia who peacefully exercise the right to freedom of expression or because of their political opinion or beliefs.
Your signature really can make a difference!
Peace Hub is promoting this because we feel it is a positive action that fits with our current theme. It should not be inferred that Amnesty International endorses Peace Hub in any way.