Der Spiegel is reporting that, as part of a major prisoner exchange with Russia, Vadim #Krasikov , identified by German officials as a colonel in #Russia ’s #FSB intelligence service, is on a plane to Ankara in #Turkey.
He was serving a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a #Kremlin opponent in a Berlin park.
V cpj.org:
The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes reports that Wall Street Journal reporter #Evan #Gershkovich and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) editor #Alsu #Kurmasheva will be released as part of a prisoner exchange, and calls on Russia to release other jailed journalists and stop harassing those in exile.
http://support.cpj.org/site/MessageViewer?em_id=9561.0&dlv_id=25821&pgwrap=n
A total of 24 people are set to be released as part of the prisoner swap expected to take place today between the US, Russia, Germany, and 3 other European countries.
At least 12 political prisoners held in #Russia are expected to be released to #Germany, 8 Russians are expected to be returned to Russia, incl several with suspected ties to R intelligence. E.g. Vadim Krasikov, an #FSB colonel, who was serving a life sentence for the 2019 murder of a #Kremlin opponent in a #Berlin Park
26 people from prisons in seven different countries were exchanged in Ankara, Turkey's presidency says.
The prisoners are from the US, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Norway, Russia, and Belarus, it says in a statement.
Ten people, including two minors, were relocated to Russia, 13 prisoners to Germany, and three to the US, the statement adds.
Ilya #Yashin too is reported to be released - he is a #Russian opposition politician, friend of the late Boris #Nemtsov and Alexey #Navalny , who was jailed for 8.5 years for his post about the #Bucha massacre ( #UkraineWar ). He said “It’s better to spend ten years in prison than die of shame in silence for the blood your government is spilling"
On a day like today I cannot stop thinking about the untimely death of Alexey #Navalny in prison
V WSJ:
WSJ Reporter #Evan #Gershkovich Is Free
Release of 32-year-old American from #Russia secured as part of largest East-West prisoner swap since Cold War
https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/evan-gershkovich-free-cde745b3?mod=e2tw
by the look of it many of the political prisoners in Russia you could often read about here are free - Novaya Gazeta has a list of some of the names not yet confirmed: Oleg #Orlov , Andrey #Pivovarov , Sasha #Skochilenko , Liliya #Chanysheva , Ksenia #Fadeyeva
And here is a bit if background on them:
Oleg Orlov, one of the leaders of Nobel Prize laureate human rights defender organisation Memorial - he is mentioned in this episode of #TheGlobalJigsaw https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fy6m49
St Petersburg artist Sasha #Skochilenko - sentenced to 7ys for replacing supermarket pricing labels with anti-war messages: "The #Russian army bombed an art school in #Mariupol . Around 400 people were hiding inside," and: "My great grandfather did not fight in WWII for four years so that Russia could become a fascist state and attack #Ukraine ."
She was convicted of spreading "false information" about the Russian army.
Liliya #Chanysheva - former head of late opposition leader Aleksei #Navalny 's team in Ufa, #Bashkortostan - sentenced to nearly 10 ys for 'creating an extremist community, inciting extremism, and establishing an organisation that violated citizens' rights' (after Navalny's FBK was declared an extremist organisation) her husband's campaign for her release was heartbreaking....
Her article after the re-sentencing: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/29/give-me-a-chance-to-be-a-mother-a81319
'last month the court unexpectedly brought the 2nd hearing forward. At the end of a lightning-fast 3-day trial, Evan #Gershkovich was convicted and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony.
The very same day, Alsu #Kurmasheva was sentenced to 6.5 ys in prison by a court in Kazan. Her trial had lasted just 2 days.
Someone was clearly in a hurry. It was the strongest sign yet that a deal had been done.The Russian authorities normally treat a conviction as a prerequisite for any prisoner exchange'
'Earlier this week - more signals, with reports that a string of prominent Russian political prisoners had been moved from their penal colonies or detention centres.'
'Both sides will claim it’s a good deal.
But if Russia concludes, as it has done in the past, that "hostage diplomacy" works, then worryingly, this is unlikely to be the last time that prisoners here – both foreigners and Russians – are used as bargaining chips.'
And this is how Vladimir Putin has welcomed the Russians exchanged in the prisoner swap:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c0dmemx80m2o?utm_source=press.coop
Judging by what has been published about them the group consist of an FSB linked assassin, a family sleeper cell (disputed if SVR or GRU), a GRU agent, a hacker (son of a Duma MP), a businessman guilty of insider training, another GRU linked spy and smuggler/FSB colonel (more info on them here:
https://theins.ru/en/news/273542
If they had an Olympics for moral bravery, these two Russians: Mr. Karamurza and Mr. Washington would medal.
Kriszta Satori
JeffreySmith 🌻🍉🇨🇦
The Animal and the Machine
Duncan Blues
cowboybanjobiker 🤠🪕🚴