State Duma candidate and coordinator of the human rights project of the Open Russia movement, Maria Baronova, nominated Pyotr Pavlensky’s “Threat” action, in which he set fire to the door of the FSB building on Lubyanka, for the FSB award in the field of art. this She reported on her Facebook page.

“The main figure of contemporary art in Russia is, of course, Pyotr Pavlensky. I believe that his works belong at exhibitions and biennales, and not in the materials of criminal cases,” the human rights activist wrote. She clarified that “the state is doing everything to make Pavlensky a real, great artist and introduce his works to the maximum audience.”

The FSB Prize is awarded annually to authors of works in which “the image of a security officer is created at a high artistic level and their activities are most objectively reflected.” This is stated in the message about the competition published on the FSB website. According to the conditions, any “individuals and legal entities” can submit an application for participation with the consent of the author. The application must be accompanied by a “competition entry” and a certificate about the publication and its author.

Pavlensky’s “Threat” action, during which the artist set fire to the door of the FSB building on Lubyanka, took place in November 2015. Immediately after the action, Pavlensky was taken to the police station on suspicion of committing petty hooliganism. Later, a criminal case was opened against Pavlensky under the article “Vandalism”; by decision of the Tagansky Court, he was placed under arrest .

At the trial, the artist, explaining the purpose of his action, said that he condemned the criminal cases of so-called terrorists fabricated by the FSB.

In March 2016, the investigation reclassified the case under Article 243 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (destruction of cultural heritage objects). The maximum punishment under the article “Vandalism” provides for three years of imprisonment, while under the article “Destruction of cultural heritage objects” you can get up to six years.

Pavlensky’s “Threat” action at Lubyanka was nominated for an FSB award