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Since February, Viktor Kirman, a 63-year-old artist from Rostov-on-Don, has been arrested nine times on administrative charges, each time on different pretexts. His daughter, Nelli Kirman, told OVD-Info about this.
The artist was first detained on 26 February. Law enforcement officers conducted a search at his home, confiscating all technical equipment (phones, computers and data storage devices) and documents. His wife’s passport and property documents were also taken. According to his daughter, officers did not provide any documentation for the seizure of these items.
The next day, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Kirman to 10 days under the article on disobeying the police (Part 1, Art. 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences). The ruling states that officers asked to see his passport, but the artist refused and tried to run away. Kirman denied the charges in court, explaining that he could not have run away because he has difficulty walking due to problems with his sciatic nerve. He also stated that he “did not speak impudently” to the police and handed over his documents when first asked.
He was subsequently arrested three more times under police disobedience protocols for allegedly refusing to show his passport on new occasions. Two of these rulings were made by different courts in Rostov-on-Don (Pervomaysky and Proletarsky), and another by the court in Aksay, a town near Rostov-on-Don.
The next four rulings were made by the Novocherkassk City Court. In each case, Kirman was found guilty of petty hooliganism (Art. 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences). Each time, police claimed he swore in a public place. At one hearing, the artist said that he was detained and taken to the police station immediately after completing his previous arrest, and that the evidence in the case had been fabricated.
The most recent time Kirman was arrested was on 17 May. The Kirovsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 10 days under the article on disobeying the police.
Nelli Kirman says her father was secretly transported between cities, and his lawyer received no notification about the court hearings. While in detention, the artist’s condition worsened, and he developed inflammation in his jaw and teeth.
Kirman was able to inform his family about torture. He described how, during interrogations, he was beaten, doused with water in what resembled a simulated drowning, and subjected to electric shocks.
It remains unclear what, exactly, the officers are trying to charge Kirman with. At first, they questioned him about certain posts and articles found on his computer. “The investigation is trying to interpret these private texts as some kind of ‘anti-government activity,’” his daughter says. Later, he was pressured to sign some papers, but Kirman refused. His daughter believes he is being forced to inform on others.
Nelli Kirman also says that the officers are trying to use her father’s Ukrainian background “as a pretext to create the image of an ‘enemy.’”
“In 80 days, he has not faced a single criminal charge. This confirms there is no real evidence of any wrongdoing. Officers are using an ‘arrest carousel’ to break a person morally and physically in complete isolation,” she adds.
Kirman’s daughter says he has dedicated most of his life to teaching, culture and creativity: “He actively promoted art and culture in Rostov and beyond, revived the pottery tradition, worked in design, landscape art and interior projects. Teaching has been especially important in his life. Viktor worked in an art studio, developing children’s creativity. His work has always had a constructive and humanistic focus.”
Nelli Kirman adds that in recent years her father has been studying his family’s history and heritage, and working on research and literary projects:
“He has never engaged in public political activity, and his personal notes and correspondence were a way of processing what was happening and expressing himself creatively. His art and work have never posed a threat to society—in fact, they are proof of his rich inner world, humanity, and constructive outlook.”
- Viktor Kirman is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and the International Association of Art at UNESCO. He works in painting, ceramics, restoration, and interior design.
- Kirman graduated from the Art and Graphic Faculty of the Rostov Pedagogical University, and later taught in the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design at Southern Federal University. He also has a studio in Rostov-on-Don, where he has led painting masterclasses for adults and children.
- The artist is originally from Kirovohrad region (now Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine) and over the years has lived and worked in both Russia and Ukraine. He has restored exhibits in Russian and Ukrainian museums.
- In the 2010s, with support from the Rostov Regional Ukrainian National-Cultural Autonomy, Kirman and his daughter organised exhibitions in cities across Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In 2015, Nelli Kirman held an anti-war exhibition of her works in Rostov-on-Don. She now lives and continues her creative work in Ukraine.