Exiled Feminist Icon Zalina Marshenkulova Criticizes Putin's Regime and Exposes Abuses Against Women and Activists.
Zalina Marshenkulova, 38, a prominent Russian feminist activist and blogger, has criticized President Vladimir Putin’s government over thousands of political prisoners detained on what she described as “absurd charges”.
Dubbed the “icon of Russian liberal feminism” by local media, Marshenkulova expressed solidarity with those imprisoned for refusing to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Marshenkulova as a vocal advocate for justice and women’s rights, defying mounting pressures on activists within the country from outside Russia, remains exiled in the United Kingdom.
“I myself am facing eight years in a Russian prison for being against the invasion of Ukraine and for calling a man [pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky] who participated in the military action against Ukraine,” she told Moscow Times.
Russian Feminist Icon Marshenkulova Condemns Political Prisoner Abuses
Escalating crackdowns on activists, journalists, and opposition figures have forced many families to leave Russia, where “a huge number of people are currently behind bars on absurd charges” including “theater director Yevgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk and many teenage boys and girls”.
Marshenkulova stated that despite the fact that she and the rest of others who had left Russia for Europe are against Putin’s regime and the Russia-Ukraine war, they “still face various bans and restrictions” by European authorities because they “have Russian passports”.
“The second issue I am working on is the representation of Russians in Europe. Those of us who fled the war or opposed it while in Europe face issues like bank account freezes or outright bans on opening them,” she added, expressing her pain.
“We are in an absurd situation: despite opposing the killings and the invasion, and following European law, we still face various bans and restrictions simply because we have a Russian passport. I think this is also an important issue that needs attention.
“All in all, like every feminist, I am fighting two battles at the same time: one for basic human rights and the other — for women’s rights.”
She further painted an ugly picture of women’s rights in Russia, saying women can be jailed for no reason and commonly “subjected to reproductive violence”.
“Women are, of course, very vulnerable in an environment where anyone can be jailed for no reason. But women are also subjected to reproductive violence that many governments — including Russia — are facilitating with renewed rigorousness these days,” Marshenkulova explained.
“[These acts] include abortion restrictions and attempts to ban abortion altogether. In other words: attempts to turn the state away from secularism and toward religious obscurantism.”
