Activists jailed in St. Petersburg for street exhibition in support of political prisoners

On Wednesday, May 5, a district court in St. Petersburg jailed two activists for staging a street exhibition in support of political prisoners. According to the rights group Apologia Protesta, the court sentenced activist Pavel Krisevich to 10 days in jail, and activist Anastasia Mikhailova to eight days.

Krisevich and Mikhailova were detained on the morning of May 2, on St. Petersburg’s Arts Square, after they set up easels with their own paintings in front of the Pushkin statue on the nearby Mikhailovsky Square. According to the activists, their “exhibition” was meant to protest torture and repression, and show support for freedom of creativity and political prisoners. The easels were dismantled by the police. 

Krisevich was found guilty of repeatedly violating protest legislation (under Administrative Code article 20.2, section 8), while Mikhailova was deemed the organizer of an unauthorized rally (under Administrative Code article 20.2, section 2).

Pavel Krisevich is best known for conducting a protest performance outside of the FSB headquarters in Moscow in November 2020. The activist attached himself to a cross while four other activists in coats labeled “FSB” set fire to “criminal case files” at his feet. The protest led to Krisevich serving 15 days in jail and being expelled from university.