OVD-Info is an independent human rights defence and media group in Russia today. We now publish original content in English that helps people outside of Russia understand what’s going on in this country, that has now become the largest authoritarian regime in the world. Our main goals are:to shine a light on violations of human rights that are going on in Russia right now;to demonstrate how people (including us) fight for justice and freedom of speech in Russia;when it’s still possible, to ask you for help to protect people inside of Russia.To illuminate Russia’s fight for justice, we monitor and collect data on human rights violations, we analyze it and publish our own studies, as well as opinions of acknowledged expertsKey highlights: new projects and launchesWe’ve updated Lifeline — our letter-writing service for people facing political persecution.We received many requests to add the option to write to a specific person — and now you can! You can also choose a pen pal based on shared interests, and continue the correspondence in nearly any language — our volunteers will help.What hasn’t changed: writing a letter through Lifeline is still as easy as replying to an email from a colleague. You can write a letter through the updated Lifeline and support the project via link.We’ve released a new version of Drozd (Thrush) (yes, as you may have noticed, we love birds)Drozd bot — a support assistant for people facing political persecution in Russia. Many times we’re asking our Russian followers to support people from a distance — but with Drozd people can support those who are facing persecutions in real time: show up court hearings, discover all the ways to help right now.Drozd is probably the easiest and fastest way to follow a specific case and support someone in real time — for example, by attending their court hearing.Connect with Drozd: @kogda_sud_bot (only available in Russian).Launch of the Terminated at One’s Own Request ProjectPressure is mounting in Russia on students and public sector employees — including teachers, doctors, university staff, and municipal workers — because of their civic stance. We’ve seen a growing number of cases where people are forced to resign from their jobs or withdraw from universities under the pretense of doing so «at one’s request,» when in reality, they are being coerced under significant pressure.To combat this, in March we launched the project Terminated at One’s Own Request, where individuals can receive legal consultations. If the situation calls for legal defense, the project provides skilled legal representation in court. The project is only available in Russian.This project is our way of defending everyone’s right to dissent — including in the workplace.The Terminated at One’s Own Request project was launched with the support of OVD-Info. A few months ago, we made the decision that OVD-Info should become a launchpad for new initiatives that expand the scope of our assistance. That’s how the Emergency Assistance project was created — helping people in detention gain access to medical care. That’s also how the Bureau of Prison Deliveries came to be: a project that collects and sends essential items to pre-trial detention centers and prisons — because sometimes, politically persecuted individuals lack even basic food or hygiene supplies.And, as always, we’re only able to launch these projects thanks to your support.How you helpedFinancial SupportIn April, OVD-Info received 15 037 donations amounting to €131 985.The median one-time donation was €9,77, and the median monthly donation was €5,40;The average one-time donation was €22,67, and the average monthly donation was €8,00.The amount includes:Direct donations to OVD-Info’s clients via the «Zaodno» platform: 580 donations totaling €6574,32;«Zaodno» platform is a project that serves as a direct P2P platform where Russians can support political prisoners without involving organizations like ours to avoid persecutions for interacting with a «foreign agent» (OVD-Info was claimed a foreign agent in 2021). Transferring money through «Zaodno» is just as easy as transferring money to a friend for lunch of cinema tickets (and is just as safe). The platform was developed with help of OVD-Info.Donations for care packages and medical assistance for politically persecuted individuals: 447 donations totaling €6412,42.Donations for Terminated at Own’s Own Request: 11 donations amounting to €183,96. Writing Letters and Sending AppealsLifelineThrough Lifeline you can send a letter — for free — to someone imprisoned for political reasons. You can write to a specific person, or be matched with someone new based on shared interests.You wrote 668 letters in April;Since the project launched, a total of 13,497 letters have been written for 917 people;We received 3,585 replies and have already forwarded them to you.DyatelDyatel (Woodpecker) is our tool for sending mass appeals to Russian authorities. With just a few clicks, anyone can demand action in cases of injustice — whether it’s calling for medical assistance for a political prisoner, protesting unlawful detention, or supporting someone’s right to a fair trial.It’s fast, easy to use, and makes your voice heard where it matters.In April, you sent 3133 appeals to government agencies;Since «Dyatel» was launched, more than 137,539 appeals have been sent.What we didProvided Protection
