Political prisoners

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How to write a letter

• Every letter is read by the facility's censor. If they object to it, it may be held back or never delivered. If a letter contains details of the case, the censor may pass it to the investigator.
• How to start: greet the person by name, introduce yourself (a pseudonym is fine), say a little about yourself if you are comfortable, and why you decided to write. If you know nothing about them, ask them to tell you about themselves.
• Do not write about the criminal case, other defendants or witnesses, or about politics and the war in harsh terms.
• No threats, swearing, codes or hints, no explicit content, nothing about security arrangements.
• Write about everyday things: yourself, books, the weather, cultural news. Ask a couple of questions so there is something to reply to.
• Letters in Russian get through faster; in another language they may be held for translation.
• You can sign with a pseudonym. For replies, give an email address outside Russia, not a Russian mailbox.
• According to OVD-Info, there are no known cases of prosecution for corresponding with political prisoners as such.
• You can find an address in the free directory Vestochka (vestochka.io). It is a project of OVD-Info, which is designated 'extremist' in Russia, so open the site through a VPN. At the moment Vestochka gives you the address and ideas on what to write; you send the letter yourself, through an electronic service for letters to detention centres and colonies or by ordinary post.
• Electronic services for letters to detention centres and colonies ask for the sender's name, phone number and email, and the service keeps this data.

How to attend a hearing as a member of the public

• First, the risk. People in the public gallery are seen and recorded: at the entrance a bailiff copies your passport details into the visitors' log, and you may be filmed inside the building and at the door. In political cases the security services may identify those who attend. If you face a case of your own, are wanted or want to avoid attention, weigh the risk in advance.
• By law any adult may attend an open hearing, even without knowing the defendant. The court may close a hearing, for example because of state secrets or if the defendant is under 16 (art. 241 CPC). You need your passport to get in.
• Look up the date, time and courtroom on the court's website, in support groups' channels and from human rights groups. Arrive half an hour early: hearings often start late and can last several hours.
• In the courtroom you may make an audio recording and take notes. Photos and video are allowed only with the judge's permission; otherwise you may be removed and fined. Switch your phone to silent.
• Do not bring placards or shout slogans: people are detained for this. A large group outside the court can be treated as a protest, so do not gather in a crowd at the entrance. Keep a human rights group's number on paper.
• More: 'How to attend court as a listener' by OVD-Info (designated 'extremist' in Russia) and 'I am going to court to support a defendant' by First Department (foreign agent).

OVD-Info: how to attend court as a listener (in Russian) (extremist) · First Department: going to court to support a defendant (in Russian) (foreign agent)