Russian artist faces six years in prison for drawing vaginas
Yulia Tsvetkova, a 27-year-old Russian feminist and activist is facing up to six years in prison for posting stylised drawings of vaginas online.
Tsvetkova has been charged with disseminating pornography and according to the Daily Mail, her court trial begins today.
However, she is not allowed to give details of the accusations against her.
Her court hearing comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed constitutional amendments that outlawed same-sex marriage and tasked the government with “preserving traditional family values”.
Tsvetkova operated a children’s theatre and was a vocal advocate of feminism and LGBT rights.
She founded an online group, called Vagina Monologues. Here, she encouraged followers to fight stigma and taboo surrounding the female body, and posted other people’s art in it.
In November 2019, she was deatined and spent the next four months under house arrest.
Tsvetkova was fined twice for violating Russia’s law against disseminating gay ‘propaganda’ to minors.
The court ordered Tsvetkova to pay a fine of 50,000 roubles in December 2019 for running an LGBT-themed online group, and 75,000 roubles more in July 2020 for a drawing in support of LGBT families.
The second fine was later decreased to 50,000 roubles.
