By Simon Pirani

The Russian political prisoner Andrei Trofimov has appeared on a video link to a court hearing on Thursday, after four months’ loss of contact.

His supporters, who fear he was being mistreated in the notorious IK-9 prison in Petrozavodsk, Karelia, north-western Russia, are relieved – but he is not out of danger.

The court heard a claim that prison staff had prevented Trofimov meeting his lawyer. The hearing was adjourned and will continue on 15th September. The court ordered that materials be passed to Trofimov for him to study.

At the start of the hearing, Trofimov read a poem, for his friends, that said:

“My friends, I’ll get back from prison.

The age of the mad sultan is finite.

Shame will forever haunt

The idiot who raised a sword against our union.”

Human rights organisations had reported last month that lawyers had gone three times to the prison and were not able to meet Trofimov.

At Thursday’s hearing, according to a report by Sota Vision, Trofimov said that on one occasion he had been told that a lawyer had arrived, but not the lawyer’s name, which had made him suspicious. He had asked to be told about visits in advance, in writing, but no letters had reached him.

One of Trofimov’s lawyers, Roman Masalev, and a representative of the prison authorities, also addressed the court.

Trofimov, who is known to his friends as an energetic correspondent, also told the court that he had received no letters since the end of April. Some letters that arrived in March were passed to him only on 3rd July, without either paper to write replies or the censor’s approval.

He said he had made five written complaints to the prison authorities about correspondence being blocked.

The court also heard that Trofimov’s brother had tried unsuccessfully to arrange a visit. The prison representative claimed that, as Andrei was being held in a punishment cell (PKT), there were no visiting rights.

Trofimov, 59, has been a civil society activist since the 1980s, and in 2022 protested publicly against the all-out invasion of Ukraine.

In 2023, Trofimov was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for “incitement to extremism” and “discrediting the Russian army”, due to social media posts he wrote opposing the war in Ukraine. The court stated that he had completed an application form for the Freedom of Russia Legion, and convicted him of preparation to participate in an unlawful armed formation.

Trofimov’s statement to the closed court hearing, ending “Glory to Ukraine. Putin is a dickhead!” was published outside Russia. This resulted in a further trial, at which he was convicted of incitement to terrorism and three years were added to his sentence.

It is not easy, from outside Russia, to help Trofimov – but his supporters are asking us all to draw public attention to his case.

We are preparing an open letter, which we will publish in September. If you wish to sign it and/or help circulate it, please contact the Ukraine Information Group at  2022ukrainesolidarity[at]gmail[dot]com.

More in English about Andrei Trofimov’s case here. Sota Vision’s report and video from court is here. More on People and Nature about political prisoners in Russia here.

Simon Pirani is honorary professor at the University of Durham and writes a blog at peoplenature.org, where this article was first published.

Image: Andrei Trofimov. Photo from supporters’ telegram channel