Ilya Yashin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ilya Yashin
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Илья Яшин
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Yashin in 2024
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| Chairman of the Council of Deputies of Krasnoselsky district | |
| In office 7 October 2017 – 27 July 2021 |
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| Member of the Council of Deputies of Krasnoselsky district | |
| Assumed office 7 October 2017 |
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| Leader of PARNAS | |
| In office 2012–2016 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 June 1983 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | Yabloko (2000—2008) PARNAS (2010–2016) Independent (2008–2010, since 2016) |
| Other political affiliations |
Solidarnost (since 2008) |
| Residence | Moscow |
| Alma mater | International Independent University of Environmental and Political Sciences, graduate school of the National Research University – Higher School of Economics |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Yashin's mayoral campaign |
Ilya Valeryevich Yashin (Russian: Илья́ Вале́рьевич Я́шин; born 29 June 1983) is a Russian politician who has spoken out against the government. He led a political party called the People's Freedom Party (PARNAS) from 2012 to 2016. He also served as the head of the Krasnoselsky district in Moscow from 2017 to 2021.
Ilya Yashin helped start a youth movement called Oborona in 2005. Later, in 2008, he co-founded another political group called Solidarnost, where he is still a leader. He took part in many protests in Russia, including the 2011–2013 Russian protests. In 2012, he was chosen to be part of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council, a group of opposition leaders.
In 2022, after Russia's actions in Ukraine, the government made new laws about sharing information. In June 2022, Yashin was arrested and accused of spreading "false information" about the Russian military. In December 2022, he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. However, in August 2024, he was released as part of a prisoner exchange with other countries.
Contents
About Ilya Yashin
Early Life and Education
Ilya Yashin was born in Moscow, Russia, on 29 June 1983. He studied political science at the International Independent University of Environmental and Political Sciences and graduated in 2005.
Political Activities
From 2001 to 2008, Ilya Yashin led the youth section of the Yabloko political party. During this time, he organized protests and spoke to the media about important issues. In 2008, he joined the Solidarnost movement. Because of this, the Yabloko party removed him, saying he caused "political damage." In 2005, Yashin also ran for a seat in the Moscow parliament.
Yashin is well-known for his strong speeches at protests. He has actively supported the Strategy-31 campaign, which works for freedom of assembly in Russia. This means people should be allowed to gather peacefully. In 2005, he spoke out against the Nashi movement, a youth group that supported President Vladimir Putin.
On 31 December 2010, Yashin was arrested during a protest in Moscow. He was held for fifteen days. He stated that the police made up evidence against him. Amnesty International, a human rights group, called him a "prisoner of conscience," meaning they believed he was imprisoned for his beliefs.
In October 2012, Yashin was arrested again, along with other activists like Alexei Navalny. This happened while they were protesting in Moscow to support another activist. They were accused of disturbing public order.
In February 2016, Yashin released a report that criticized Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. In his report, Yashin said that Kadyrov was a danger to Russia's safety. He also pointed out Kadyrov's expensive lifestyle and issues with corruption.
Serving Moscow's Krasnoselsky District
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On 10 September 2017, Ilya Yashin was elected as a local representative for the Krasnoselsky district in Moscow. His team, Solidarnost, won seven out of ten seats in that area. On 7 October 2017, he became the chairman of the council of deputies for the Krasnoselsky municipal district.
In April 2018, Yashin announced that he planned to run for Moscow mayor. He wanted to challenge the current mayor, Sergey Sobyanin.
However, in June 2021, he was stopped from running in the upcoming parliamentary election. He believed this was because he supported another opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.
Arrest and Time in Prison
On 4 March 2022, new laws were put in place in Russia. These laws made it a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, to publish "knowingly false information" about the Russian military.
On 27 June 2022, Ilya Yashin was arrested in Moscow. The next day, he was sentenced to 15 days in jail for not obeying a police officer. Yashin said that his arrest was politically motivated because of his views on the events in Ukraine.
On 12 July, Yashin was officially accused of "discrediting the Russian Armed Forces." His home was searched. On 13 July, a court ordered him to be held before his trial. Yashin was tried because of a video he posted online in April 2022. In this video, he talked about the discovery of civilians who had been killed in the town of Bucha, near Kyiv. The government prosecutor asked for nine years in prison for Yashin. Human rights groups like Amnesty International asked for his immediate release, saying his case was part of a crackdown on people who criticized the government's actions.
On 9 December, a Moscow court sentenced Yashin to eight years and six months in prison. This was for his statements about the events in Bucha, under the charge of "spreading false information" about the military. This was one of the harshest punishments given under the new laws. In his final words to the court, Yashin said he would always tell the truth, even from prison. He also urged President Vladimir Putin to "immediately stop this madness" and admit that the policy on Ukraine was wrong. He said it was better to be in prison as an honest person than to feel shame for the actions of the government.
On 19 April 2023, Yashin's appeal against his sentence was denied by the Moscow City Court. In his speech, Yashin stated that the new laws against spreading "false" information went against the Russian Constitution, which protects freedom of speech.
On 1 August 2024, Ilya Yashin was released from prison. He was part of a 2024 Ankara prisoner exchange where prisoners were traded between Russia and Western countries. He was then sent to the West.
Images for kids
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Ilya Yashin's signature
See also
- Putin. War
- Russian 2022 war censorship laws
Literature
- Mickiewicz E. No Illusions: The Voices of Russia's Future Leaders. — Oxford University Press, 2014. — P. 198. — 288 p. — ISBN: 9780199977857. — ISBN: 0199977852.
- Putin's Opponents: Enemies of the People / The Associated Press. — Mango Media, 2015. — 198 p. — ISBN: 9781633531826. — ISBN: 1633531821.
- Bennetts M. I'm Going to Ruin Their Lives: Inside Putin's War on Russia's Opposition. — Oneworld Publications, 2016. — P. 99–101, 105, 149. — 320 p. — ISBN: 9781780744322. — ISBN: 1780744323.
- Lyytikainen L. Performing Political Opposition in Russia: The Case of the Youth Group Oborona. — Routledge, 2016. — 202 p. — (The Mobilization Series on Social Movements, Protest, and Culture). — ISBN: 9781317082293. — ISBN: 131708229X.
