The Norwegian Helsinki Committe has written a letter to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Igor Viktorovich Krasnov, in order to drop charges against Yulia Tsvetkova. The way we see it, the charges against Ms. Tsvetkova bears no ground. On the contrary – she fights a very important battle that few others dare to fight.
Pornography
Ms. Tsvetkova is charged on the basis of pornography. It is evident, however, that the charges lack a proper legal basis, and that Ms. Tsvetkova’s activities does not meet the definition of the offence set out in Russian law. – We fear Yulia will face a long prison sentence for simply exercising her right to freedom of expression, says Mina Skouen, Head of Section for Equal Rights in the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. – All charges should be dropped, so that Yulia can continue her work for a Russia where women and girls have access to their fundamental human rights.
Yulia was arrested on November 20, 2019 after which searches were carried out at home and at work. She was under house arrest from November 23, 2019 until March 16, 2020. She and her mother have been questioned over 30 times. While under house arrest, Yulia was denied access to necessary medical care. She and her mother have experienced months of harassment and death threats.
In July 2020, Tsvetkova was charged a second time for the same drawing depicting four adults with children under the heading “Family is where there is Love.” This charge falls under an article on the promotion of non-traditional sexual relations among minors, also known as the “LGBT Propaganda” law.