Defiant Protest from the Courtroom Cage: Russian Politician Gorinov Stages Anti-War Demonstration Amid New Terrorism Charges.
In a bold act of defiance, jailed Russian politician Alexei Gorinov has staged a dramatic anti-war protest from within the confines of a courtroom cage, even as he faces new terrorism charges for his criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gorinov, a Moscow city councilor serving a seven-year sentence for his vocal opposition to the war, held up a placard during a court hearing in the city of Vladimir Putin, reading “Stop killing” and “Let’s stop the war,” accompanied by a drawing of a peace sign.
The 63-year-old’s latest trial stems from allegations that he “justified terrorism” through alleged conversations with fellow inmates about Ukraine’s Azov battalion, which Moscow considers a terrorist organization, and the bombing of the Crimean Bridge.
The Kremlin has responded to any opposition to its policies with lengthy prison sentences, but dissidents like the late Alexei Navalny have used their court appearances as a platform to express their dissent.
In July 2022, Gorinov was handed a seven-year sentence for telling a council meeting that Russia was waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, becoming the first individual in Russia to be jailed under a wartime censorship law introduced shortly after the invasion.
Opposition politician Ilya Yashin, who was recently freed from a Russian prison in an East-West exchange, hailed Gorinov as an “indomitable” voice of protest and called for his inclusion in a future prisoner swap.
“Behind him are almost three years of prison cells and prison transfers, constant pressure, and ruined health,” Yashin wrote on Telegram. “But Alexei raises an anti-war poster in court again.”
Gorinov, who denied the terrorism charge, told the court, “I have nothing to do with your terrorism and never have in my entire life. I was imprisoned for seven years only for speaking out… about the fact that civilians are suffering and children are dying during the war. Life has shown that I was right.”
The defiant act from the confines of the courtroom cage serves as a powerful reminder of the ongoing battle for free expression and dissent in Russia, even in the face of harsh crackdowns and lengthy prison sentences.
