Prison 'catastrophe' For Jailed Russian Artist, Warns Mother

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 31st Oct, 2023) The mother of a Russian artist, who faces a decade in jail for protesting Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, said her health has significantly deteriorated during one-and-a-half years behind bars and warned a prison sentence would be a "catastrophe".

Alexandra Skochilenko, a 33-year-old artist and musician from Saint Petersburg, has been held in detention since April last year for replacing supermarket price labels with messages protesting against Moscow's assault on Ukraine.

Skochilenko, who went on trial last December, has been behind bars despite a number of health conditions including celiac disease and a congenital heart defect.

Her mother Nadezhda Skochilenko said Alexandra could be sentenced before the New Year, and she shuddered at the thought of what comes next.

"I am trying not to think about it, I am hoping for a miracle," 60-year-old Nadezhda told AFP in an interview in Paris.

"A real prison term would just be a catastrophe for Sasha," she said, using her daughter's diminutive name.

Nadezhda said Alexandra was sickly as a child and spent a lot of time in hospitals. She did not work for the first 14 years of her daughter's life in an effort to stabilise her health and give her a chance to "live a normal life".

Alexandra's arrest last year has undone all her efforts, Nadezhda said, adding that her health has quickly deteriorated.