Russia: 11 years in prison for opposition politician Shlosberg

A closing statement under constant interruption

The verdict had originally been scheduled to be announced in the morning, but the hearing was pushed back to the afternoon. The postponement was confirmed by five observers. The reason for the delay was not publicly explained by the court, and seven journalists present reported consistent accounts of heightened security measures inside the courthouse.

Shlosberg belongs to the liberal party Yabloko and is considered one of the few remaining opposition politicians who publicly position themselves against Russia's war against Ukraine. Within Yabloko, he is described as an experienced local politician and long-serving regional deputy who had already been prosecuted in earlier cases for regime-critical statements.

Background: Criticism of the war against Ukraine

Yabloko party chairman Nikolai Rybakov had already rejected the authorities' actions as politically motivated prior to the verdict. Rybakov interprets the charges as a deliberate attempt to silence one of the last independent voices in Russia's regional politics. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office had previously stated that the accusations against Shlosberg were directed at concrete criminal offenses and not at his political activity.

Human rights defenders see the trial as a further sign of the ongoing restriction of freedom of assembly, press, and expression in Russia. International observer organizations point out that criminal proceedings against opposition figures have increased markedly in recent years, with lengthy sentences in penal colonies no longer being uncommon.

Shlosberg had been arrested last year after he condemned Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine as a violation of international law in social media and at a public event, and called for civil disobedience. The indictment accused him, among other things, of disseminating false information about the Russian armed forces and of publicly inciting actions against the security of the state. The defendant firmly rejected both charges in his closing statement.

Reactions and appeal

After the verdict became known, short-lived solidarity demonstrations with Shlosberg took place in several Russian cities. Eyewitnesses reported small rallies in front of the courthouse that were broken up by police, and dozens of individual posters showing his name and the number eleven. The Russian leadership did not comment directly on the conviction.

According to observers' assessments, the sentence of eleven years in a penal colony falls within the upper range of verdicts typically handed down in such cases. Penal institutions in remote regions of Russia are considered particularly harsh in terms of detention conditions. Shlosberg's defense team announced that it would appeal the verdict and take the case to the next higher court.

International observers see a signal effect

Independent observers interpret the verdict as a signal to all those who continue to publicly criticize the war in Ukraine or the political leadership in Russia. Within the liberal opposition as well, there is growing concern that, should the appeal and further instances fail, Shlosberg's removal would mean the loss of one of the few remaining bridges to regional politics.

International attention on the case is high, with several European governments and human rights organizations having already observed and criticized the proceedings before the verdict was handed down. Diplomats spoke of a litmus test for the credibility of the Russian judiciary, which, in the view of Western observers, has now turned out negative.

On the evening after the verdict was announced, the Yabloko party published a statement condemning the verdict as politically motivated and demanding Shlosberg's immediate release. The statement was published on the party's website and disseminated by several independent media outlets in Russia before being partially blocked by the Russian media supervisory authority.