On September 27, 2023, Maksym Panin, judge of the Military Court of Appeal of the Russian Federation, upheld the verdict of the Southern Area Military Court of the Russian Federation, according to which the Mr. Bohdan Ziza, a Ukrainian, was sentenced to 15 years in confinement. This was reported by the artist’s lawyer. The information about this court decision is also published on the court’s website.
To remind: on June 6, Roman Plisko, judge of the Southern Area Military Court, sentenced the activist to 15 years the in general regime penal colony.
Mr. Ziza was found guilty of justifying terrorism (RF CC Article 205.2-2), preparing to commit a terrorist attack (RF CC Article 30-1, Article 205-1) and vandalism motivated by political enmity (RF CC Article 214-2).
The day before, the prosecutor asked for 18 years’ sentence for the Crimean artist and activist Bohdan Zizi on the summary indictment.
In his last statement, Bohdan Ziza once again emphasized that he had spoken against the war in Ukraine passively supported by most Russians.
“My action was an attempt to reach out to apolitical citizens, an attempt not to stand aside when people die every day. I did it out of conscience. I stand by my opinion. In my action, I called for peace, to stop hostilities, I did not call for terrorist attacks. I am a Ukrainian, and what is happening to my country hurts me. That is why I decided to do this action. But actionism in Russia is equal to terrorism”, Mr. Ziza stated.
On June 10 Bohdan Ziza went on a hunger strike demanding to be withdrawn Russian nationality, and all Ukrainian political prisoners to be released.
