A press conference was held in Moscow on the topic “What will the Voina art group receive – a state prize or a prison sentence?”

On February 21, 2011, a press conference was held at the Independent Press Center in Moscow on the topic “What will the Voina art group receive – a state prize or a prison sentence?” Let us recall that two activists of the group were arrested in November 2010 on charges of hooliganism motivated by hatred of the social group “police officers.”

Among the speakers were Andrei Kovalev, candidate of art history, associate professor of the Faculty of Arts of Moscow State University, laureate of the 2008 Innovation Prize in the field of contemporary visual art in the category "Theory, criticism, art history", member of the Expert Council of the Kandinsky Prize, Andrei Erofeev, candidate of art history, member of the jury state prize in the field of contemporary art "Innovation", Anna Karetnikova, employee of the Human Rights Center "Memorial" (program for the protection of civil activists), Stefania Kulaeva, employee of the St. Petersburg "Memorial" and Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the Information and Analytical Center "Sova".

Art critics said that the actions of the members of the Voina group are the most significant phenomenon in Russian culture over the entire past year, and that the cruelty with which the arrested artists were treated by law enforcement agencies during their arrest, the difficulties they face in prison will be included into history.

Human rights activists emphasized that the arrest of Nikolai Vorotnikov and Leonid Nikolaev is of a political nature.

Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA Center, once again emphasized that the members of the Voina group did not do anything for which they could be tried using anti-extremist legislation. In addition, he noted that the case of “War” clearly illustrates the error in the wording of Art. 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (hooliganism): the definition of hooliganism states that it is a violation of public order, carried out for the sake of actually violating public order, that is, without purpose. The presence in this article of a clause about the motive of political, ideological, racial, national or religious hatred or enmity, as well as the motive of hatred or enmity in relation to any social group, makes the article internally contradictory.

On the day of the press conference, the Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg changed the preventive measure for one of the arrested artists, Oleg Vorotnikov. He will be released on bail of 300 thousand rubles. On February 22, a similar decision was made regarding Leonid Nikolaev.

Responses:

Mikhail Shiyanov. Why do we need “War” // RIA Novosti. 2011. February 18.

“My entire scientific apparatus is breaking down” A press conference was held at the Independent Press Center “What will the art group “Voina” receive – a state prize or a prison sentence? // Gazeta.ru. 2011. February 21.

Art group “War”: art or hooliganism? Members of the art group in prison were nominated for a state prize // Voice of America. 2011. February 21.

The case of "War": stop the massacre // Grani.TV. 2011. February 23.

Sources

• The court agreed to release on bail a member of the Voina art group // RIA Novosti. 2011. February 21.