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Bard and Smolny College Graduate Released from Russia in Historic Prisoner Swap

We are pleased to announce that today Alexandra “Sasha” Skochilenko, Bard and Smolny College class of 2017, was released together with other political prisoners incarcerated in Russia. Skochilenko had been imprisoned since March 2022 for the act of placing anti-war leaflets, disguised as price tags, on goods in a grocery store in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The release was part of a larger prisoner swap between Russia, the United States, and several European countries.

Under Article 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in a Russian penal colony for “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian Army.” A case study prepared by Sofia Semenova, a Bard Human Rights major (and former student at Smolny College) for the Open Society University Network documents the harsh conditions of Skochilenko’s imprisonment and its effects on her physical and mental health. It also examines the questionable evidence and processes used to prosecute her case, arguing that during Skochilenko’s trial, the principles of adversarial process and equality between the prosecution and the defense were constantly violated. 

Skochilenko is a musician and advocate for mental health awareness. She graduated in Sociology and Anthropology from the former Smolny College/Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Saint Petersburg in a long-running dual degree program between Saint Petersburg State University and Bard College in New York. (In 2021, the joint program was ended when Bard was the first higher education institution to be named an undesirable organization by the Russian government and banned from operating in Russia). Other notable figures who were released in the 12-person swap today included American journalist Evan Gershkovich, former US Marine Paul Whelan, and Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.

“Sasha Skochilenko was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries. Now our graduate (Smolny College, 2014-2017), who was sentenced to seven years in prison for replacing price tags in a supermarket with anti-war leaflets containing information about civilians killed in Ukraine, is safe.” said Ilya Kalinin, visiting scholar Humboldt University (Berlin), Smolny Beyond Borders. “Two years and almost four months that Sasha spent in a Russian prison are over. I remember well her diploma thesis, dedicated to the mechanisms of state control over children's products on Russian television. And I remember equally well the bitter and ironic postscript to one of her letters to me, written from prison: Sometimes I am not even surprised that such a penitentiary experience fell to my lot. Perhaps I was too fond of Foucault. Now this experience is in the past. We look forward to meeting you, Sasha!”

Jonathan Becker, Bard College’s Executive Vice President and Bard’s former Dean for Smolny College, said, “Sasha has demonstrated both the creativity and determination that we hope to see in our graduates. We are profoundly thankful that she is now out of prison, and only hope that others currently incarcerated in Russia for their courageous stand against the ongoing war are also released.”

In her closing statement before sentencing in 2022, Skochilenko said:
If these five pieces of paper are really as dangerous as the state prosecutor claims, then why was this trial initiated at all? So that we could discuss and re-discuss these five theses dozens of times? Even the state prosecutor uttered them — and didn't blush. …(W)hat weak faith our prosecutor has in our state and society if he believes that our statehood and public safety can collapse from five small pieces of paper?"

“On behalf of Bard College, our colleagues at Smolny Beyond Borders, which carries on the legacy of Smolny, and the Open Society University Network, we applaud the release of Skochilenko and express profound gratitude for the great sacrifices she has made in the name of human rights and justice,” said Becker.

Post Date: 08-01-2024

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Bard College Announces Two Recipients of Inaugural Anthony Lester Fellowships to Support Practical Work in the Field of Human Rights and the Rule of Law

The Human Rights Project at Bard College has announced the first recipients of the inaugural Anthony Lester Fellowships, which support practical work in human rights and the rule of law. Fellowships have been awarded to Hilina Berhanu Degefa, and Marian Alejandra Da Silva Parra. Degefa (an expert on women’s rights, public policy, and advocacy from Ethiopia) will use the fellowship to work to combat proposals to legalize female genital mutilation in The Gambia. Marian Da Silva Parra (a human rights lawyer from Venezuela) will develop a project to train and support local human rights defenders in Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Each fellow will receive a stipend of $25,000.

The fellowship committee selected Defega and Da Silva Parra from a large number of applications because their projects exemplified Anthony Lester’s commitment to the practical use of the rule of law and human rights as a tool to do good in the world. 

Thomas Keenan, director of the Human Rights Project at Bard, said: “The two inaugural Lester Fellows exemplify Anthony Lester’s commitment to advocacy work that’s done on the ground, where the issues and the people are, and we are grateful for the chance to support them in their important work. We’re looking forward to hearing from them both firsthand at Bard this coming year.”

Hilina Berhanu Degefa has worked on the interlinking of gender and law in various international organizations and think tanks, including the UN office in Vienna and the European Institute of Peace. With an extensive repertoire of the countries she has worked and lived in across Horn and Eastern Africa, as well as Central Europe, her approach to women’s rights work is intersectional and community-oriented. Currently, Degefa is pursuing a postgraduate degree in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford. Before that, she earned an LL.M. in Law and Gender from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London and an LL.B. from Addis Ababa University’s School of Law.

Building on the recent opposition to lifting the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia and drawing from the effective groundwork established by local grassroots activists, civil society, and advocacy groups, Degefa’s efforts will center on legal initiatives on FGM law. During this fellowship, Degefa will prepare shadow reports and conduct comprehensive legal advocacy aimed at bodies such as the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Human Rights Council. 

Marian Alejandra Da Silva Parra is an accomplished Venezuelan human rights lawyer with extensive experience in international litigation and advocacy. She graduated with honors from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello and is currently pursuing an LL.M. in Human Rights Law at University College London as a Chevening Scholar. Da Silva Parra’s commitment to human rights was shaped by Venezuela’s complex humanitarian crisis. She engaged in pro bono litigation through Defiende Venezuela and the Observatory of Crimes Against Humanity, representing victims before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the United Nations, and the International Criminal Court (ICC). In addition to her legal practice, Da Silva Parra has trained over 200 human rights defenders worldwide and engaged in advocacy initiatives and academic research. Da Silva Parra coauthored the Handbook for the Liberation of Political Prisoners. Her professional background and academic pursuits highlight her unwavering dedication to advancing human rights and the rule of law globally.

Da Silva Parra’s project, Defiende Las Americas, is designed to honor the legacy of Anthony Lester QC by advancing human rights across the Americas. The project focuses on countries facing a deep-rooted human rights challenges, specifically Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Trinidad and Tobago. It aims to implement a comprehensive strategy that includes training on the documentation of human rights violations, and the advocacy for the protection and promotion of human rights. Defiende Las Americas will increase the capabilities of local human rights defenders through targeted training and a specialized mentoring program, equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively advocate for human rights within their countries. These trainings and subsequent mentorship will lead to meticulously recorded cases of human rights abuses, which will be presented before international human rights bodies like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations. Advocacy efforts will be tailored based on specific cases identified during the mentorship, aiming to build relationships with international bodies, embassies, and organizations to sustain global commitment to human rights. 

Anthony Lester Fellowships
The fellowships honor the memory and legacy of Anthony Lester QC (Lord Lester of Herne Hill), one of Britain’s most distinguished human rights lawyers. As a young lawyer, Lester visited the American South twice during the civil rights movement and wrote a report on race relations. His experiences there inspired his pioneering work as a barrister and legislator. He wrote in his memoir Talking to Myself that, while on a fellowship in the United States, he realized “the practice of law could be used to promote political and social change . . . Reinforced by my involvement with American constitutional law and civil rights in the Deep South, I decided to give it a try. It was life-changing.”
The fellowships are administered by the Human Rights Project at Bard College, and supported by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, and the Lester family.  Maya Lester KC, Anthony Lester’s daughter and a British barrister, said: “We are delighted to be able to offer these fellowships in memory of our father who was inspired by his early international experience and an enthusiastic mentor to lawyers early in their careers wanting to do something useful for the world.” Gideon Lester, Anthony Lester’s son and Chief Executive and Artistic Director of the Fisher Center at Bard, added: “We are grateful to the Gatsby and Open Society Foundations for their leadership support, which ensures that these fellowships exist in perpetuity, and to Bard College’s Human Rights Project for administering them.”

Post Date: 06-25-2024