On Wednesday, a court in Russia sentenced a woman from Saint Petersburg to eight days of imprisonment for inscribing “no to war” on her ballot during the nation’s presidential election, as a protest against President Vladimir Putin’s military actions in Ukraine.
The election, which spanned over three days, featured Putin as the sole contender, securing a fifth term in the Kremlin that would prolong his leadership until at least 2030.
Allegations of ballot tampering marred the election, with Putin, in his victory address, stating that those who spoiled ballots “must be addressed.”
The Dzerzhinsky district court of Saint Petersburg decreed that Alexandra Chiryatyeva be incarcerated for eight days and imposed a fine of 40,000 rubles (equivalent to 440 euros).
The court convicted her of hooliganism and “undermining the credibility of the Russian military forces.”
“Chiryatyeva took a voting ballot, and using a red marker, wrote ‘no to war’ on its reverse side before depositing it into the ballot box,” stated the court.
By this act, Chiryatyeva damaged state property and undermined the credibility of the Russian military forces, according to the court.
Chiryatyeva’s action occurred on the last day of voting, coinciding with calls from Russia’s opposition factions for demonstrations against an election where Putin’s victory was assured.
Western nations and independent Russian electoral monitors have criticized the vote as one of the most fraudulent in the post-Soviet era.
As Russian forces engage in Ukraine, Moscow has significantly intensified its crackdown on dissent.