A left-wing activist has been detained in Kyrgyzstan. In Russia, a case has been opened against them for inciting hatred.

In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, left-wing activist Artyom Borodin has been detained; in Russia, a case has been opened against him for inciting hatred or enmity (Article 282 of the Criminal Code). This was reported by the Black Book of Capitalism (“BBK”) channel.

According to supporters, Borodin was born in Donetsk and lived in Moscow. However, shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he returned to Donetsk “to shoot a film about Lenin” as an assignment for the Rabochaya Demokratiya (“Workers’ Democracy”) newspaper.

In March 2022, he was detained by the so-called Ministry of State Security of the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic” for distributing anti-war leaflets. According to the Revolutionary Workers’ Party, the leaflets contained “calls for workers in the ‘DPR’ to demand enforcement of the Labour Code and legalisation of independent trade unions” as well as a call “not to remain indifferent and to seek an end to the fighting and a diplomatic resolution to the conflict”.

At first, he was held for two months in a basement, and then transferred to Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Donetsk. Borodin remained in detention until December 2022, accused of inciting hatred (Part 1, Article 328 of the “DPR” Criminal Code, and from 30 September 2022—the equivalent article of the Russian Criminal Code).

After the court changed his pre-trial restrictions, in January 2023 he managed to leave for Kyrgyzstan. He informed supporters that he “needed help with obtaining political asylum.” However, it is unknown whether he managed to request this. Yesterday, 10 August, Borodin stopped making contact.

As noted by “BBK,” if deported to Russia, Borodin “could face torture.” The channel does not report his current whereabouts.