Five Years for Fear of Repression: Performance Artist Pavel Krisevich Released from Penal Colony

Pavel Krisevich, a well-known performance artist in Russia, whose demonstration in Red Square symbolized fear of repression, has been released from St. Petersburg Penal Colony No. 5 after five years of imprisonment, reports NewsBox.

The Russian performance artist, Pavel Krisevich, was released from St. Petersburg Penal Colony No. 5 on the morning of January 24th after completing his sentence. Only his wife was present to greet him—friends and supporters could not arrive in time due to an unexpected early check-out.

In June 2021, Krisevich was detained in Red Square following his performance, where he staged an act of self-harm, meant to symbolize the fear of repression. This performance was intended to highlight the pervasive atmosphere of fear in the face of political crackdowns.

A journalist, Nika Samusik, who was documenting the event, was also detained but released shortly after.

In 2022, Krisevich was initially sentenced to five years in a penal colony, a sentence that was later overturned. A year later, the court reinstated the same sentence, citing the motive of "ideological hatred."