A Komsomolsk-on-Amur central district court has acquitted artist Yulia Tsvetkova on the grounds of rehabilitation, reported her mother Anna Khodireva in a Facebook post. Tsvetkova was accused of “disseminating pornography” for posting cartoonish drawings of naked female bodies promoting body positivity in the Vagina Monologues online community on VK.
“The court case that lasted 3 years ended with the defendant winning. We are happy, but this isn’t the end yet. The prosecutor's office has 10 days to appeal,” wrote Khodireva.
On 14 June, the prosecutor asked that Tsvetkova be given 3 years and 2 months of jail time.
Yulia Tsvetkova is an artist and LGBT-activist from Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk region, she was charged in 2019.
Photo: Anna Khodireva / Facebook
It took the prosecutor's office four times before they managed to approve a final incitement against the artist. The court did not allow civilians and media to be present during the case hearings, explaining the decision this way: during the proceedings “private details of participants’ lives could be made public” and “there will be materials that the prosecutor’s office has deemed pornographic”.
Several forensic analyses were conducted during the case. In particular, the Khabarovsk and Birobidzhan regions Investigation Committee asked that there be conducted an art history and psychological analysis of a Sex and the City episode.
From November 2019 to March 2020, Tsvetkova was under house arrest due to being charged in a criminal case, however, later, the court substituted the house arrest with a signed statement saying she would not leave the country. After that, the artist was accused of taking part in propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations in several administrative cases. Reports on Tsvetkova were drawn up, accusing her of homosexuality propaganda.
