U.S. Sanctions Russian Judge Over Detention of Human-Rights Activist

On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against Olesya Mendeleeva, a Russian judge implicated in the unjust jailing of human-rights advocate Alexei Gorinov due to his dissent against Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. Mendeleeva is accused of overseeing Gorinov's “ongoing arbitrary detention” after sentencing him to seven years in prison in July 2022 for publicly condemning the war.

Alexei Gorinov, a former member of the Moscow district council, was the first person prosecuted under Russia's stringent war censorship laws. His conviction followed a council meeting in which he expressed concern over the fatalities of children in Ukraine, directly attributing those deaths to Russia’s military aggression. The Treasury Department highlighted that Mendeleeva has a reputation for imposing severe penalties and was the first judge to convict someone under the accusations of disseminating false information about the military.

During a council meeting on March 15, 2022, Gorinov advocated for a moment of silence in honor of the war's victims and referred to the situation in Ukraine as a war rather than a “special operation,” which angered authorities. As a result of his outspoken views, he has faced physical abuse in prison and was denied necessary medical care. In a later proceeding, he received an additional three-year sentence in a penal colony for allegedly “justifying terrorism,” further complicating his legal situation and extending his incarceration.

Bradley Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury, commented on the broader implications, stating that the manipulation of Russia’s judicial system serves to suppress dissent and obscure the truth about the war against Ukraine. At 63 and in deteriorating health, Gorinov remains a prominent example of the political repression occurring in Russia, following an earlier exchange of prisoners that included notable figures like Vladimir Kara-Murza and activist Oleg Orlov.

The environment for public dissent in Russia is increasingly hostile, with the government intensifying its crackdown on opposition to its wartime policies. While the Kremlin refrains from discussing individual legal cases, it asserts that its courts are prosecuting individuals engaged in what they term subversive activities during warfare, mirroring actions taken against high-profile dissidents such as Alexey Navalny who died tragically in a penal colony.