Meet Anastasia Shevchenko, a prominent Russian opposition leader and 2024 Oslo Freedom Forum speaker.
Shevchenko was a coordinator for Otkrytaya Rossiya (Open Russia), an opposition movement established by the exiled Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. In 2017, Open Russia and two other NGOs were deemed “undesirable” by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, essentially banning any activity or association with the opposition organizations.
The Kremlin’s crackdown on civil society intensified as officials began searching the homes of suspected Open Russia members, including that of Shevchenko. Shortly after being falsely deemed a threat to Russia’s constitutional order and security, Shevchenko was placed under house arrest in 2019, where she remained for two years. While detained, her eldest daughter, Alina, grew very ill, but the Russian regime showed little mercy — she was only able to visit Alina hours before she passed away.
The news of Shevchenko’s daughter’s death triggered widespread demonstrations across Russia — from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, and Yekaterinburg — in support of the unlawfully detained activist. Several international human rights organizations also came to her defense, declaring her a “prisoner of conscience” and calling for her immediate release.
In 2021, Shevchenko was handed a 4.5-year suspended sentence, becoming the first person in Russia convicted based on the “undesirable organizations” law, the Kremlin’s latest weapon to persecute, ban, and jail critics.
In 2022, she fled Russia with her children, and today, she continues to courageously challenge Vladimir Putin’s relentless crackdown on the opposition, seen most recently with the tragic murder of prominent Russian dissident and opposition leader Alexei Navalny while serving an unlawful 19-year prison sentence.
Register today for the Oslo Freedom Forum to hear Shevchenko’s story of bravery and sacrifice firsthand.
You can find additional details about the event at oslofreedomforum.com, and regular updates on our X and Instagram.
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