Merry Christmas Resistors! “A Mighty Girl's 2025 Profile in Courage: Darya Kozyreva, a 19-year-old Russian anti-war activist, faced years of imprisonment in a penal colony for quoting a Ukrainian poem and calling Russia's war "monstrous." Her defiant final words to the court before sentencing? "I have no guilt, my conscience is clear." Darya was sentenced to nearly three years in a penal colony in April after being convicted of "discrediting" the Russian military. Her crime? Affixing a piece of paper with lines from "My Testament," a poem by Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko, to his statue in St. Petersburg on the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine; writing a blog post criticizing the war; and giving an interview to Radio Free Europe in which she called the war "criminal." After her arrest on February 24, 2024, Darya was held in pre-trial detention for nearly a year before being released to house arrest this past February. In her final statement to the court, the former medical student remained unapologetic, telling the judge "Ukraine is a free country, a free nation, and it will decide its own fate." Prosecutors sought a six-year sentence. Darya pleaded not guilty, describing the case as "one big fabrication." The case against this young political prisoner exemplifies Russia's further descent into repression, with authorities wielding draconian "war censorship laws" to silence any expression of dissent. Memorial, the Nobel Prize-winning human rights group, has recognized Darya as a political prisoner, calling the charges against her "absurd." According to the Russian human rights group OVD-Info, more than 1,500 people are currently jailed in Russia on political grounds, with over 20,000 detained for anti-war views since February 2022.
Amnesty International's Russia Director Natalia Zviagina observed, "Darya Kozyreva is being punished for quoting a classic of 19th-century Ukrainian poetry, for speaking out against an unjust war and for refusing to stay silent." The verdict stands as "another chilling reminder of how far the Russian authorities will go to silence peaceful opposition to their war in Ukraine." Darya turned 20 in October while imprisoned in a penal colony. As for the lines the Russian government found so dangerous that they imprisoned a young woman for years for quoting them? "Oh bury me, then rise ye up And break your heavy chains And water with the tyrants' blood The freedom you have gained." --> You can send Daria a letter of support in prison via an online form run by the human rights group OVD-Info at https://vestochka.io/en/p/daria-kozyreva ---- For books for tweens and teens about girls living under real-life authoritarian regimes throughout history, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426
For several excellent books about past Russian invasions told through the experience of teen girls, we highly recommend "The Endless Steppe" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-endless-steppe), "Winterkill" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/winterkill), and "Between Shades of Gray" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/between-shades-of-gray) For books for young readers about girls who bravely stood up against dictators, we highly recommend "Words on Fire" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/words-on-fire), "The Story That Cannot Be Told" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-story-that-cannot-be-told), and "Resistance" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/resistance) For older readers, we recommend "White Rose" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/white-rose), "The Light in Hidden Places" for ages 13 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-light-in-hidden-places), and "In the Time of the Butterflies" for ages 15 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/in-the-time-of-the-butterflies) To inspire children and teens with the true stories of girls and women who dared to fight for change throughout history, visit our blog post, "Dissent Is Patriotic: 50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364 To stay connected with A Mighty Girl, you can sign-up for our free email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter Thank you to PDE / EDP - European Democrats for sharing this image!”
Merry Christmas #Resistors!
“A #MightyGirl's 2025 Profile in Courage: #DaryaKozyreva, a 19-year-old Russian anti-war activist, faced years of imprisonment in a penal colony for quoting a Ukrainian poem and calling Russia's war "monstrous."
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