Jailing of Darya Polyudova

Motion Text

That this House notes with great concern the jailing of Darya Polyudova leader of the Left Resistance movement in Russia; further notes that on 31 May 2021 the Western District Military Court in Moscow sentenced the 32-year-old activist to six years in a prison colony for postings on social media, with a four-year ban on working in the media, organising mass events or posting information on the internet; notes that human rights organisations including the Memorial Human Rights Centre and Amnesty International consider Polyudova as a prisoner of conscience; notes that Polyudova has consistently opposed Russia’s war against Ukraine and defended of Crimean Tatar and other Ukrainian political prisoners held in occupied Crimea and Russia; considers that she has been peacefully exercising her right to freedom of expression; and urges the Russian Federation to release Polyudova without delay.