A Russian artist who replaced supermarket price tags with messages calling for an end to Moscow's war in Ukraine was sentenced to seven years in prison on Thursday.

Critics say the case of 33-year-old Alexandra Skochilenko is part of a crackdown on anyone who speaks out against Russia's "special military operation" that has led to nearly 20,000 arrests and more than 800 criminal cases.

Her supporters in the courtroom shouted "shame" after the judge Oksana Demiasheva read out the verdict.

Skochilenko appeals for compassion

Skochilenko made the emotional appeal during her final statement to a court in her native St. Petersburg before the verdict was announced.

"Whatever decision you take, you'll go down in history," Skochilenko told the presiding judge. She said she was a pacifist and valued human life above all else.

"Your honour, you have a unique opportunity to show an example to society with your verdict," she said. "You can show how to resolve conflict with the help of words and compassion."

What did the artist do? 

Skochilenko admitted that on March 31, 2022, she replaced price tags in a supermarket in St. Petersburg with small pieces of paper calling for an end to the war and criticizing the authorities.

But Skochilenko, who has already spent more than a year and a half in prison, denies the formal charge of knowingly spreading false information about the Russian army.

Her lawyers had told the court that their client had only acted out of conscience, had committed no crime, and would not survive in prison because of pre-existing health problems.

Skochilenko has struggled due to several health problems, including a congenital heart defect, bipolar disorder and celiac disease, requiring a gluten-free diet, her lawyers and her partner argued.

Russia's most prominent human rights group and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Memorial, has declared Skochilenko a political prisoner. 

dh/rt (Reuters, AFP)