Russia Arrests Multiple People for Holding Up Blank Signs. By Isabel van Brugen.
Police in Nizhny Novgorod arrested a demonstrator today for protesting with a blank sign. Welcome to Russia in 2022. pic.twitter.com/YprwDqex8V
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) March 12, 2022
Separately, in the city of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, police arrested activist Anastasia Nikolaeva just days after the invasion began, according to Russian independent human rights group OVD-Info. The group said she was found guilty of disobeying a police officer after she held a single-person picket holding a blank sheet of paper.
Суд в Ростове-на-Дону арестовал активистку Анастасию Николаеву на восемь суток. В суде ее интересы защищал адвокат Сергей Ковалевич, сотрудничающий с ОВД-Инфо.
Николаеву признали виновной по статье о неповиновении полицейскому из-за одиночного пикета с пустым листом. pic.twitter.com/PpAYZPH04Q
— ОВД-Инфо (@OvdInfo) February 25, 2022
George Orwell was asked to comment: