Petition of «Political Prisoners Memorial»
Free Political Prisoner Mothers
208 / 1 000
For many years, our project, Political Prisoners Memorial, has maintained a register of political prisoners in Russia. It now lists over 1,400 names. This represents only a small fraction of those whose imprisonment, in our assessment, shows clear signs of political motivation and illegality. Yet for those included on our list, we are certain of one thing: every one of them should be free.
We recognize that it may be unrealistic to expect the immediate release of all political prisoners. There are, however, at least twenty individuals whose freedom calls particularly for humanity and compassion. They are mothers who have been separated from their underage children.
Their release is especially urgent because imprisonment also punishes their children. Nothing can replace a mother’s love and care, whose importance in a child’s life cannot be overstated. Separation from their mothers causes suffering to children who are innocent in every respect and should not bear the burden of punishment.
Article 38 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states that “maternity, childhood and the family shall be protected by the State.” Article 82 of the Russian Criminal Code reflects the same principle, providing for the possibility of deferring a sentence for mothers whose children are under fourteen. Even where this provision could not be applied, we appeal to a higher principle: mercy.
That mercy may be exercised through an act of amnesty or a presidential pardon. There is precedent for this: in 2013, dozens of political prisoners were released in this way. Returning these twenty mothers to their children poses no threat to the authorities and carries no danger to society.
We, the independent human rights project Political Prisoners Memorial, together with the undersigned, call for the swift release of these twenty women and their return to their children. Their names are listed below:
- Elena Abramova
- Anastasia Berezhinskaya
- Viktoria Brazhnik
- Kseniya Garina
- Oksana Gladkikh
- Polina Evtushenko
- Surlana Enchinova
- Anastasia Zibrova
- Olga Komleva
- Kristina Lyubashenko
- Maria Makhmutova
- Yulia Mirzalieva
- Tatyana Omelchenko
- Olga Petrova
- Maria Ponomarenko
- Elvira Saifullina
- Yulia Stanika
- Marina Tokareva
- Saniya Uzyanbayeva
- Svetlana Khustik
Is this petition useful?
Yes. A petition is a way to demonstrate widespread public support for specific demands. It is a safe and effective method of showing how many people recognise the problem and are calling on those legally empowered to initiate investigations and influence the practice of abuses by law enforcement.
How do you ensure that petition signatures are not falsified?
After submitting their details, users receive an email containing a link to confirm their signature. Unless the link is clicked, the signature is not counted and does not contribute to the total number.
Where will the petition be sent?
After the signatures are collected, the petition will be sent to the authorities and officials who have the actual power and resources to grant pardons or amnesty.
Is it safe to sign the petition?
Yes. We do not share your personal data with the authorities. Communications to government bodies will include only the text of the petition and a link showing how many people have supported it.
What is OVD-Info?
ОOVD-Info is an independent human rights media project whose goal is to achieve a complete end to politically motivated persecution in Russia. Read more at https://ovd.info/en/.
What is "Political Prisoners. Memorial"? Is it true that "Memorial" was declared undesirable in Russia?
"Political Prisoners. Memorial" is an independent human rights project that helps victims of political persecution. Until 2022, it was part of the Human Rights Center "Memorial," but it is now an autonomous organization. On the territory of Russia, the project is designated as a "foreign agent." You can learn more about this here.
In February 2026, the Prosecutor General's Office added the legal entity of the International Memorial Association to the list of "undesirable organizations." The "Political Prisoners. Memorial" project is not part of the International Memorial Association, and the unlawful decision made by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office has nothing to do with us. However, in the modern Russian Federation, "elastic" repressive norms can be implemented in completely unpredictable ways, so it is impossible to completely rule out the consequences of adding the IMA to the undesirable list for our project. You can read about the potential risks associated with accusations of cooperating with "undesirable" organizations here (in Russian).
How else can I help?
You can support the political prisoners who are assisted by the independent human rights project "Political Prisoners. Memorial."
Thanks to your donations, we provide legal and humanitarian aid to political prisoners: we help their loved ones pay for the work of independent lawyers, we collect and send care packages with essential items to detention facilities, and we support the families of prisoners in crisis situations.
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