Russian Anti-War Teenager’s Five-Year Sentence Upheld After Appeal

An appeal to reverse a five-year prison sentence for one of Russia’s youngest political detainees has been unsuccessful. Arseny Turbin’s arrest occurred in the summer of 2023, at which time he was 15 years old. Officials charged him with membership in the Freedom of Russia Legion, a paramilitary group formed by Russian volunteers engaged in combat for Ukraine against the Russian military. Russia classifies the Freedom of Russia Legion as a terrorist organization, and Arseny received a five-year sentence to be served in a juvenile colony. The court of appeal on Thursday decreased his five-year sentence, though merely by 24 days. According to the Russian human rights organization OVD-Info, Arseny is among nine minors who have encountered politically motivated criminal accusations since the commencement of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing suppression of civil liberties. He refutes all accusations leveled against him. He states that he investigated the legion but never submitted an application and has not perpetrated any offense. His mother, Irina, similarly asserts his innocence. She conveyed to the BBC, “I just don’t understand the judge who handed down the sentence.” Furthermore, investigators have asserted that Arseny disseminated flyers critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin, acting on behalf of the legion. While he acknowledged distributing the leaflets, he denied receiving directives from anyone. Arseny openly expressed criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin while at school. His political engagement extended to social media, where he reposted material from Russian opposition figures and, at times, shared his own political views, including a video depicting him conducting a solo picket advocating for the late opposition politician Alexei Navalny. His mother states that he acted independently and not under the direction of the Freedom of Russia Legion. Nevertheless, in late August 2023, personnel from the FSB, Russia’s security service, conducted a search of Arseny’s residence in Livny, a small town situated 450km (280 miles) south of Moscow, and seized his electronic devices. The following day, he was called for interrogation and charged with becoming a member of the Freedom of Russia Legion. His mother recounts, “I was hysterical, I was shaking, crying.” She adds, “Arseny told me: ‘Mum, calm down, I didn’t commit any crime, they will work it out.'” Irina expresses profound regret that no legal counsel was present during the questioning. She suspects that the FSB later inserted a confession of guilt into the transcript, which Arseny had not uttered. Several of his school peers were interviewed by investigators and indicated that Arseny frequently criticized Putin and Russia’s activities in Ukraine. However, in their testimonies, which the BBC has reviewed, none asserted that he possessed any affiliation with the Freedom of Russia Legion. Despite this, Arseny was formally taken into custody the subsequent week. He remained under house arrest for several months while awaiting his sentence. Subsequently, last June, he was moved to a Moscow detention facility, where he has remained incarcerated since that time. During this period, his mother reports that his weight decreased from 69kg to 52kg, attributed to his struggle with a diminished appetite caused by continuous stress. Irina further observed his emotional withdrawal and his frequent inquiries about why he is being penalized for an act he did not commit. At one point, Arseny shared a cell with a violent inmate who assaulted him, struck him on the head, and issued threats. In conversations with the BBC, Irina and Arseny’s educators described him as a highly intelligent and politically active young individual who now confronts numerous years of imprisonment for an offense he did not perpetrate. His mother mentioned that from an early age, Arseny exhibited a strong passion for science, specifically physics and economics. He harbored aspirations of pursuing political science studies at a renowned Moscow university. His mother stated, “He wanted to improve life in Russia.” She recounted that her son possessed a profound sense of justice, which emerged following his experiences with bullying during his schooling. He was often subjected to ridicule and offensive epithets due to his birth in Dubai and his father’s origin from the United Arab Emirates. Irina reports that since his apprehension, Arseny has lost all his friends, as the majority have withdrawn from him. She adds that her neighbors and colleagues even accuse her of having “raised a terrorist.” They contend that if Arseny were truly innocent, the court would have exonerated him. She is of the opinion that they do not completely grasp the functioning of the Russian judicial system. Her typical reply is to express hope that they will never have to experience the system personally. She states, “But if you do, you’ll find out.”