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.
If you are interested in sponsoring the Oslo Freedom Forum, please contact [email protected]. If you are interested in attending as a member of the media, please contact [email protected]
If you are interested in bringing your family to the OFF Camp for Kids, please contact [email protected] by April 15. The OFF Camp for Kids is an interdisciplinary human rights camp that includes fun activities, sports, and educational programming around the city of Oslo.
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