An 18-year-old Russian street musician faces her third jail term for performing anti-war songs as crackdown on dissent intensifies across Russia.
SAINT PETERSBURG: A Russian court has jailed an 18-year-old street musician for the third time for performing anti-war songs in public spaces.
Diana Loginova, known by her stage name Naoko, received another 13-day sentence for organising mass gatherings through her pop-up street concerts.
The music student had performed songs by exiled Russian artists Monetochka and Noize MC in Saint Petersburg last month.
Her performances gained viral attention amid Russia’s near-total absence of public opposition to the Ukraine offensive.
Loginova previously served two 13-day sentences before being immediately re-arrested on new charges each time she was released.
Rights lawyers describe this as a “jail carousel” tactic where prosecutors file multiple minor charges to maintain continuous custody.
The court found her guilty of organising unauthorized public gatherings during her latest hearing.
Support videos for Loginova and her band Stoptime have flooded TikTok since her initial arrest.
Other young street performers have expressed solidarity publicly despite risking fines or imprisonment themselves.
Band guitarist Alexander Orlov also received a 13-day jail sentence during the same proceedings.
He sat between his lawyer and a masked police officer throughout the court hearing.
Street singers in other Russian cities performing in support of Loginova have faced similar arrests.
A Perm court jailed 20-year-old performer Yekaterina Romanova for 15 days after she expressed support for Loginova.
Romanova, also known as Yekaterina Ostasheva, had already served a seven-day sentence earlier this month.
Thousands have been detained since Russia criminalised criticism of the military following its February 2022 Ukraine offensive.
Sweeping censorship laws outlaw all public criticism of Moscow’s military actions, President Vladimir Putin, or the army.
Rights groups compare these restrictions to Soviet-era suppression of dissent. – AFP
