Ramilya Galim (Saitova)
“…I knew about the risks, many people advised me not to speak out. That’s why I don’t see myself as a victim of this situation.
I am more like a prisoner of war.
If I hadn’t made this statement, I would’ve lost my sense of self…”
Ramilya Galim (Saitova) is a 59-year-old political prisoner, activist, entrepreneur, and public figure from Bashkortostan, a republic within Russia. She was sentenced to five years in prison after speaking out against the war in Ukraine.
In 2023, police and Russian security officers raided her apartment, confiscating phones, notes, and electronic devices before charging her with “publicly inciting actions against the state.”
Her crime, essentially, was a video.
In the video, Romilya address men mobilised for the Russian army in Bashkortostan, and urges them to refuse to participate in the war against Ukraine, “to desert, to be brave and to openly declare that they refused to kill…”
In addition to her five year prison sentence, the court banned Romliya from engaging in website administration activities for a period of four years. She was later added to Russia’s list of “terrorists and extremists.”
In 2024, Romliya faced stricter conditions of her imprisonment. This change came after two other women prisoners physically attacked her. Ramilya immediately informed the prison staff. Yet, instead of protection, the disciplinary commission recognised her as having violated the order and placed her in a punishment cell for fifteen days. Afterwards, she was transferred to even harsher detention conditions, including restrictions preventing her from calling relatives.
Meanwhile, the prisoners who attacked her faced no punishment at all.
The activists monitoring Saitova’s case say she had normal relations with everyone in this facility, and they consider the incident to be “a provocation organised by the prison administration and possibly the “Secret Service.”
“I am being punished for having a different opinion on matters of war and peace, and on the question of using the civilian population in military aggression against another country. I don’t regret publishing my video for a second. I knew about the risks many people advised me not to speak out. That’s why I don’t see myself as a victim of this situation. I am more like a prisoner of war. If I hadn’t made this statement, I would’ve lost my sense of self. Sometimes, remaining silent means complicity. I had a real opportunity to influence the situation.”
Ramilya Galim (Saitova).
