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The 2nd Eastern District Military Court today sentenced Roman Maryan, an activist from Krasnoyarsk in Siberia and a former defendant in the “Artpodgotovka” case, to nine years’ imprisonment. A volunteer in correspondence with Maryan told OVD-Info about the verdict. The sentencing was also recorded on the case details page on the court’s website.
According to the activist’s contact, the court gave him three years in prison, with the remainder of his sentence to be served in a high-security penal colony.
In January this year, another correspondent of Maryan’s told OVD-Info that he had been charged with financing terrorist activities (part 1.1, article 205.1 of the Criminal Code). He was accused of making a donation to Vyacheslav Maltsev—the host of the “Artpodgotovka” video blog (now known as “Narodovlastie”) and author of the idea of holding a revolution in Russia on 5 November 2017.
It is known that Maryan was detained in December 2024 in connection with the new criminal case. He was remanded in custody. The activist is currently held in Krasnoyarsk SIZO-1 (pre-trial detention centre).
The activist first came under criminal prosecution in October 2017. After his arrest, he was charged with preparation to take part in mass riots (part 1, article 30; part 2, article 212 of the Criminal Code).
According to the investigators, he was a member of the local branch of the Interregional Public Movement “Artpodgotovka,” which was recognised as an “extremist” organisation by a court on 26 October 2017.
The investigators argued that Maryan and two other defendants, Aleksandr Zaitsev and Petr Isaev, travelled to Moscow at the end of October 2017 “to take part in an armed uprising on 5.11.17.” Zaitsev allegedly sent emails to Isaev and Maryan containing information about “the armed uprising in Moscow planned by supporters of ‘Artpodgotovka’” and calls to participate in it.
After their arrests, Isaev and Zaitsev were also charged with preparation to take part in mass riots. All three later pleaded guilty. Zaitsev and Isaev signed cooperation agreements with the authorities, so their cases were processed in a special court procedure.
Maryan said he pleaded guilty on the advice of an appointed lawyer. When a lawyer of his own choosing joined the case, the activist retracted his plea and explained that he had confessed under pressure from the investigators.
In August 2018, the court sentenced Roman Maryan to three years and two months in a penal colony. He was released in June 2020. The now-disbanded human rights centre “Memorial” recognised the Krasnoyarsk resident as a political prisoner.
This article has corrected an erroneous mention of the detention centre in which Maryan is being held
- In September 2021, “Artpodgotovka” was also recognised as a “terrorist” organisation. In Russia, criminal prosecution continues against those whom the authorities allege to be involved in its activities.