Yulia Tsvetkova posted delicate drawings and embroidered images of vulvas on a social media page called “Vagina Monologues” that she hoped would help lift the taboo on women’s bodies.
Instead, the Russian artist and campaigner for women’s and LGBT rights has been put under house arrest for the posts. Since she was detained in November last year, the 26-year-old has been waiting to stand trial for distributing pornography online, a charge that carries a jail term of between two and six years.
In Russia, distributing pornography is illegal and the law is regularly enforced.
She has a hearing on extending her house arrest on Monday next week. Her case has prompted international attention, with Amnesty International last month declaring her a prisoner of conscience facing “absurd charges.”
Tsvetkova said that judgement was important to her, because many people had suggested that it was her fault she was slapped with the “shameful” charge.
“It gives me confirmation that yes, my case is politically motivated,” she said teleby phone from her home in the Far East city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
Tsvetkova said that she believes the authorities are using the pornography charge as a pretext to crack down on activists, particularly in the LGBT community, because it is easy to pin on people and carries a long sentence.
By comparison, Russia’s legislation on gay propaganda to minors, which has been used to prevent gay pride events, carries a maximum sentence of 15 days in police cells.
Although Russia decriminalized homosexuality in 1993, homophobia remains widely socially acceptable.
Constitutional amendments proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and backed by the Russian Federal Assembly include a clause that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
Another LGBT activist in the nearby city of Khabarovsk, Sergei Arnautov, has been arrested on pornography charges for allegedly posting gay porn videos on a social media account, local media reported.
“It’s possible that there is a new method in the Far East — if they can ‘close’ a case with this charge, they will try in other cities,” Tsvetkova said.
Her lawyer, Yakov Pushkaryov, said that he had often defended people charged with pornography, but this was the first time the defendant was an activist.
He said he could not comment on the likelihood of Tsvetkova being convicted, but added that “we are doing all we can to prevent this.”
The charge has also been used against a transgender woman called Michelle in western Bryansk Oblast who was sentenced to three years over posts of drawings allegedly showing naked minors. The courts threw out the verdict and ordered a retrial.
For Tsvetkova, the pornography charge is a major escalation after she was twice prosecuted for “propaganda” of gay values to minors.
The first charge came over a children’s show she directed called Blue and Pink, which criticized gender stereotypes, and the second was for a social media post of a drawing of same-sex couples with children.
She previously hosted readings, lectures and a children’s theater at a community center, which she eventually closed under pressure last year. She also kept a feminist blog and worked on sex education for children, offered support for LGBT teenagers and held showings for a LGBT film festival.
She said that she is trying to keep her spirits up, despite being unable to visit a dentist to get treatment for a severe toothache.
“Looking at the statistics on guilty verdicts in Russia, I have very few chances,” Tsvetkova said. “I’m not under any illusions.”
However, she added: “I can’t sit every day crying about my future. I’m trying to believe in a miracle.”
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