Pacifism Cannot Be a Crime”: Sentence Upheld for Anti-War Blogger

“Pacifism cannot be a crime.” The sentence of anti-war blogger Sergey Veselov from Shuya has been upheld. We spoke with his mother

Sergey Veselov is an engineer, activist, and blogger from Shuya. The first case against him was opened in 2022 over the phrase “No to war” written on a city administration building. Several more cases followed. In total, Veselov was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony.

▶️ How Sergey Veselov tried to overturn the sentence

The defense insisted that it is unclear who posted the incriminating publications, and that the screenshots of correspondence showed signs of editing. Veselov also said he was prevented from preparing for court hearings: before the trial on the merits he was held in a punishment cell for 60 consecutive days, and before the appeal — for 98 days. During the appeal, he was not allowed to speak with his lawyer, which prevented him from presenting his case.

However, the court rejected the cassation appeal and left the sentence unchanged.

➡️ We spoke with his mother Tatyana about how Sergey is doing in detention and what gives him strength:

“Sergey is holding on. He is a strong person. Though age is taking its toll: he is already 66, has hypertension, back pain, and his nerves are strained.

But he does not abandon his beliefs — he thinks the same as before. He hopes the war will end soon. He sent a letter of thanks to his friends for not forgetting him. Letters make him very happy. When people write to him, he understands that others share his views. That gives him the strength to endure,” Tatyana says.

🔗 Read the full interview here.

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Sentence upheld for anti-war blogger Sergey Veselov from Shuya

A cassation court upheld the sentence of blogger Sergey Veselov from Shuya, convicted over videos and posts. OVD-Info learned this from his mother. The first case against him was opened in March 2022 over the phrase “No to war” written on a city administration building. After that…