Activist Igor Baryshnikov, sentenced to seven and a half years in prison in the case of “fake news” about the army, was transferred to IK-8 in the Kaliningrad region to serve his sentence. This was reported by his lawyer from OVD-Info, Maria Bontsler.
The prisoner is currently in quarantine.
The Kaliningrad Regional Court confirmed the sentence to Igor Baryshnikov on November 21. The man was found guilty of distributing “fake news” about the army based on political hatred (clause “d”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) due to posts with information about the war, including the murders of Ukrainian civilians. The defense demanded that the verdict be overturned due to the man’s health: Baryshnikov is suspected of having cancer, and he has a cystoma installed in his stomach (a catheter inserted into the bladder and passing through the abdominal wall). While in prison, his health began to rapidly deteriorate. On August 4, the activist was placed in the medical unit of the Federal Penitentiary Service. Despite this, the court did not listen to the lawyers, and during the hearing the prosecutor presented the conclusion of the Kaliningrad Regional Hospital that Baryshnikov could be in prison.
The defense launched an activation procedure—recognizing that a person cannot be in custody for health reasons. However, this procedure can be lengthy. “It won’t come to cancer, he will die earlier, simply because his kidneys will fail,” Bonzler points out the possible consequences of approving Baryshnikov’s sentence.
During the investigation, Baryshnikov was under recognizance not to leave. During this period, as before, he cared for his paralyzed mother Eugenia. The woman died on August 7 shortly after her son was sentenced and taken into custody. The convict was not allowed to go to the funeral. After her death, the appeal court approved the decision to transfer the woman to the guardianship authorities.
The criminal prosecution of the activist began in May 2022 - then they came to search him in the case of fakes about the Russian army (Part 1 of Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The Facebook posts that became the reason for the persecution spoke about the shelling of a maternity hospital in Mariupol and the murders of residents of Bucha.
In June 2022, a second criminal casewas opened against Baryshnikov, also under the article on “fakes,” but this time based on political hatred (clause “e”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The resolution to initiate the case mentions posts about the sunken cruiser Moskva, the shooting of civilians in Ukraine by the Russian military, and other messages about the war. The cases were subsequently consolidated and sent to court.
OVD-Info told in detail the story of Igor Baryshnikov and his 96-year-old mother, whom the man was caring for.
- Since February 24, 2022—the first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine—residents of Russian cities have been holding anti-war protests every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 750 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .
- Article 207.3 (Public dissemination of knowingly false information about the use of the armed forces of the Russian Federation) was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the authorities responded to anti-war speeches and statements, as well as the dissemination of information about the war that does not come from official Russian sources. The maximum penalty under this article is 15 years in prison.