All members of a St. Petersburg rock band, Stoptime, were sentenced to repeated periods of administrative detention in October and November for performing songs by artists the state considers ‘foreign agents’. The band had performed street concerts for years without permits but had not been threatened with arrest until videos of their performances began to be shared widely on Russian social media. The case marks a new level of restrictions on speech in modern Russia, as the street musicians have neither taken any political stances nor played political songs. It remains unclear what specific actions the state considers sufficient to have warranted this action, and the lack of clarity marks a deepening of an already restricted space for free speech. Diana Loginova, Alexander Orlov and Vladislav Leontiev were first sentenced to 12- or 13-days imprisonment for ‘organizing a rally that causes public disorder,’ and then re-arrested and sentenced on different administrative charges twice more immediately upon exiting the city jail. Criminal charges of ‘discrediting the military’ were filed against all three in November, but on 23 November all three were not subjected to rearrest and successfully traveled to Armenia. 

Sources: Meduza, Mezha, Amnesty International

The investigative journalism outlet Verstka has identified 101 Russian military officers who have been involved in torturing, murdering or sending soldiers under their command who are considered disobedient on suicide missions.  Referred to as ‘zeroing out’ in the Russian military, Verstka reports its sources in the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office claim that there is an unstated ban on investigating such incidents while Russia’s war on Ukraine continues, and that the office has received almost 12,000 formal complaints related to ‘zeroing out’ since the war began. The scale of the findings indicates that the unofficial ban on investigations has led to the murder and torture of soldiers as a form of discipline to become normalized in combat positions. Another media outlet, Vot Tak, has separately confirmed more than half of Verstka’s findings. 

Sources: Verstka, Moscow Times, Vot Tak 

The Russian communications agency Roscomnadzor began blocking all calls made on WhatsApp and Telegram, the country’s two most popular messaging apps, claiming both companies fail to comply with a law requiring that Russian users’ data be kept in the country. Simultaneously, the government has launched an ‘everything app’ modeled after China’s WeChat, Max, as a replacement. Max is not encrypted or anonymous, requires a Belarusian or Russian phone number, and collects extensive user data. Some security experts and ordinary Russians believe it is intended as a tool for mass surveillance. All phones sold in the country from 1 September must by law have the app installed. The block has triggered small protests around the country, media reports of which are unusual in wartime Russia. Both WhatsApp and Telegram are used by a large majority of Russians to manage their everyday affairs. 

President Vladimir Putin signed into law Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on 29 September. Russian officials said the move was a response to the Council of Europe’s ‘blocking’ Russian members from joining the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. As a result, Russia will no longer permit international inspectors access to its detention centers, something that anti-torture activists say will lead to a degradation of prison conditions. Members of the Committee conducted thirty visits to Russian prisons and detention centers since Russia ratified the treaty in 1998, although as disclosure requires the approval of the host government, only four were publicly published. 

Sources: European External Action Service, Meduza

A Russian law in effect from 1 September introduces penalties for deliberately searching the Internet for content the Russian government considers ‘extremist’ and for violating new rules on the usage of VPNs. The former offense is punishable with fines of up to RUB 5,000 (USD 60), and the latter with fines of RUB 80,000 to RUB 500,000 (USD 1,000 to USD 6,000) for individuals and businesses, respectively. Russia’s legal definition of extremist content is broad, and includes literature depicting same-sex relationships, social media activity by opposition political parties, content from independent media outlets and human rights groups, religious materials from Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more.

Sources: Meduza, Official Internet Portal for Legal Information

Update: Sergei Glukhikh, a medical student in the Ural town of of Kamensk-Uralsky, became the first person prosecuted under the law. Glukhikh searched for information about Ukraine’s Azov Battalion and a pro-Ukrainian Russian paramilitary group, by his account to remind himself who these organizations were, after coming across pictures of their insignias while reading on his phone. He was detained by agents of the Federal Security Service (FSB) three hours later, reportedly because his telecommunications operator immediately informed the FSB of his search 

Source: Agenstvo, Meduza