Russian Poets Receive Imprisonment for Reciting Anti-War Poetry

Two Russian poets have received lengthy prison sentences for participating in a reading of anti-war poems in Moscow. Artyom Kamardin was given seven years, while Yegor Shtovba received five and a half years, both convicted of "inciting hatred" against Russian troops and making "appeals against state security". Despite pleading not guilty, they were sentenced under what rights groups have criticized as an unprecedented crackdown on dissent in Russia. Another poet, Nikolai Dayneko, was previously sentenced to four years after pleading guilty and cooperating with the investigation. The poets took part in the Mayakovsky Readings event, a long-standing gathering for dissidents and activists in Triumfalnaya Square, central Moscow. Kamardin recited a poem that criticized Russian imperialism in southern Ukraine, while Shtovba attended the event after President Vladimir Putin announced a "partial mobilization" campaign for the war in Ukraine. The arrests were reportedly violent, with Kamardin's wife alleging that police assaulted and threatened them. Ahead of their sentencing, the defendants denied the charges against them, with Shtovba stating that he had only applauded the performances and had no evidence linking him to inciting hatred. The courtroom erupted in protests, with supporters shouting "Shame!" The Mayakovsky Readings have been sporadically held since 1958, often featuring critical poems about the Soviet Union. Many organizers were accused of anti-Soviet propaganda and received lengthy prison sentences. The group was revived in 2009 but suspended its activities in October 2022, citing military censorship and mobilization as reasons for discontinuing gatherings. This crackdown on dissent in Russia has coincided with the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with numerous activists and critics of Putin's regime being imprisoned. These cases include the sentencing of anti-war activist Sasha Skochilenko to seven years for replacing price labels in supermarkets with anti-war messages, opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza being sentenced to 25 years for his criticism of the war in Ukraine, and Moscow councillor Alexei Gorinov receiving a seven-year sentence for criticizing the invasion in a city council meeting. The situation has led to a significant increase in the number of individuals being imprisoned since the start of the invasion in February 2022.