'Kill me, militia man!': Russia trio face up to a decade in jail after reading poems critical of Russia's offensive

Moscow: Three Russian men, held after joining a reading of poems critical of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive, each face up to a decade in prison, a lawyer told AFP Tuesday. Artyom Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Dayneko were arrested in September last year after taking part in a poetry reading in Moscow, at a square where dissidents have been gathering since the Soviet era. The young men were charged with “public calls to commit activities directed against state security”, Kamardin’s lawyer Leonid Solovyov told AFP. This is the first time a case has been launched based on these charges, the lawyer said. They have also been charged with “inciting hatred”. They face up to 10 years in prison, Solovyov said. During the reading, Kamardin recited his poem entitled “Kill me, militia man!”, a reference to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. The next day Kamardin was arrested following a search of his apartment, where he was living with his girlfriend. Kamardin said he was beaten and raped with a barbell by the police. His girlfriend, Alexandra Popova, told AFP in November 2022 that the officers violently treated her during the search and threatened to rape her as well. Since sending troops to Ukraine over a year ago, Moscow has stepped up efforts to stamp out dissent and introduced new legislation to silence critics. Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.