Notes At The Front

Translator Yelena Abramova, 43, was first detained in late 2022 for a solo protest demonstration during which she held up a “No to War” sign. The second time she was detained, in the spring of 2023, she was holding a sign that read: “Peace Without War, Russia Without Putin!” Finally, in the summer of 2023, a criminal probe was launched against Abramova after she demanded “Freedom to Navalny.”

Over the long months of her prosecution and trial, Abramova, who is raising a teenage daughter, lost her job. In May, a St. Petersburg court sentenced her to two years in a penal colony for “repeat discreditation” of the Russian army.

Abramova asked the court to defer her sentence until her daughter turns 18, in two years, but the judge declined her request. She talked about her reasons for protesting during her “Last Word” – a rare opportunity for free speech granted to defendants under Russian law. Despite ever-tightening restrictions on free expression, the Last Word provision has mostly continued to be honored. We here offer a slightly abridged translation of Abramova’s statement: