Add new comment

Support Crimean anarchist Aleksandr Kolchenko, detained on terror charges!

Aleksandr Kolchenko was detained in Crimea on the 17th of May 2014 on suspicion of participation in a "terrorist group," preparation of a terrorist attack, and arson.   He is suspected of having participated in a "terrorist group" which planned explosions near the eternal fire memorial and the Lenin monument in Simferopol on the 8th and 9th of May, and of having sabotaged railway tracks and electricity lines. Kolchenko is also suspected of having carried out two arson attacks: against the headquarters of the Russian Unity-party and Russian Community of Crimea on the 14th of April, and the office of the United Russia party in Simferopol on the 18th of April. He has since been transferred to Moscow and is being kept in the Lefortovo remand prison. The case is run by the FSB, the former KGB.   Aleksandr is an anarchist and antifascist who has participated in student and environmental actions. He has been part of campaigns against tuition fees and supported workers' rights protests. He was under constant Nazi attack for his antifascist ideas. One incident took place after a film screening about murdered anti-fascist journalist Anastasiya Baburova, where he was attacked by thirty Nazis using knives. In this context, claims by the Russian authorities that Aleksandr is part of the nationalist "Right Sector" are ridiculous, and he is denying these claims.    As lawyers of the accused are subject to a gag order, we have limited information on the charges and the level of cooperation from the suspect. We know that Aleksandr has admitted to being present at the location of the arsons, but he denies terrorist charges, which carry a 20-year maximum prison sentence. There is no reason to believe that he has implicated anyone else.   Aleksandr Kolchenko is claimed to be part of a bigger group protesting against the Russian invasion of Crimea by organising direct actions. A famous film director, Oleg Sentsov, as well as two Maydan activists, Gennadiy Afanasyev and Alexei Chirniy, have also been detained under the same suspicion. All of them are claimed to be part of the Right sector (a Ukrainian ultra-right organisation). This is a lie as apart from Chirniy none of the accused have any connection to the Right sector, and Aleksandr Kolchenko has never shared nationalist ideas. The whole case is considered to be part of the Russian campaign to take over Crimea, which includes repressions against anyone who doesn't comply with the new authority.    Oleg Sentsov's arrest has gained worldwide attention, as recently, a number of known directors, including Pedro Almodovar, Mike Leigh, Agnieszka Holland, Stephen Daldry, Bela Tarr and Wim Wenders signed a petition demanding his release.   Since this case is highly political, Aleksandr's legal costs are high, around 850 euro per month. We expect the investigation to last long enough as to put a heavy financial strain on local ABC groups. So we call for support with finances and information distribution. You can make donations via PayPal to abc-msk@riseup.net or using a bank account (write to the same e-mail address for details).   An international week of actions for the arrested will take place from July 15 to July 22.   You can write to Aleksandr using the following address (only letters in Russian are accepted, so you can send postcards or use google translate in case you do not speak Russian):   Kolchenko Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Lefortovskiy val, 5, p/b 201 111020 Moscow RUSSIA    
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Author columns

Антти Раутиайнен

In September 2024, I gave a presentation in Dresden about struggles against the right-wing government in Finland. Freedom published a text based on that presentation last September, but due to character limitations I had to skip an introduction to the Finnish party system. This background is...

5 days ago
Антти Раутиайнен

Repression targets Chita anarchists already jailed for war resistance and anti-regime graffiti The regional prosecutor’s office for the Trans-Baikal region in eastern Siberia has submitted a petition to a local court to recognize the “Trans-Baikal Left Association” as a terrorist...

1 month ago
Антти Раутиайнен

Thousands of Russians have been fighting against the invasion to Ukraine. During first month of protests against the war, 15 000 people were detained. Small street actions are still sporadically taking place, although they are heavily persecuted. More than 300 people have been imprisoned for anti-...

1 month ago
ДИАна - Движени...

Translation: volunteers of Autonomous Action. «» The history of solidarity networks in Russia began in 2013, when activists from Autonomous Action and Antijob, most likely members of the Barnaul cell, found information on the internet about the Seattle Solidarity Networks. After studying...

3 months ago