The Russian doctors have addressed President Vladimir Putin demanding the release of Alexandra Skochilenko, a 33-year-old woman sentenced to seven years in prison for protesting against Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in a supermarket. Skochilenko had replaced price tags in a supermarket with slogans criticizing the Russian offensive.
Skochilenko, also known as an artist under the name Sasha, suffers from several health issues, including celiac disease and a congenital heart defect. Her mother told AFP that a long prison sentence would be a “catastrophe” for her daughter.
In the letter, published on social media and independent Russian news sites, the doctors express serious concerns about Sasha’s health. They note that her chronic illnesses require proper medical monitoring and special diet, which cannot be provided in a penal colony. Her conviction last week was met with strong criticism from human rights groups and anti-Kremlin activists.
Justice has never been a talent of dictators
Tomorrow’s headlines: Over 100 Russian doctors fall from same window.
Can’t help but wonder if the Russian people are nearing a tipping point and, if so, what happens then. Hopefully, good people and cooler heads can prevail.
Don’t get your hopes up. The vast majority of Russians are like the vast majority of conservatives / Republicans in the US. They range from tacitly in favor of authoritarianism to openly supportive of it. Nothing will change in Russia, and even if it did, the aftermath would be exploited by greedy oligarchs and corporations in a repeat of the aftermath of the fall of the USSR. Best to be a realist.
We all know that putin is a kind and warm person. I am sure he will let this guy go because of this petition. It’s not like he is a ruthless and heartless authoritarian that is known for incarcerating or killings people. He is a man of honor and ethics. He would never do cruel or inhumane things to other people or cultures. He is very open minded and in acceptance of every opinion or lifestyle. He would never let people suffer because they have a different opinion or sexuality. Putin is a man that you can talk to. This petition will proof again what a democratic and upstandig leader he is, by letting that person go. Tomorrow even. Because he is that admitted to making things right… Right?
Putin would strangle his own grandmother with a USB-Cable before he would listen/react to any petition.
Point is probably to cause professional urban Putin supporters to query their own view of him if he does not grant clemency in this case.
Because though dictators rule with an iron fist, they still require some level of backing & tacit approval from their populations. If they had the power to totally ignore public opinion, they’d have no need to try to shape it so brutally.
Certainly he seems to like to pretend to his domestic audience that he’s capable of being reasonable.
