Russian Trans Man and Activist Mark Kislitsyn Held in Women’s Prison for Treason

Mark Kislitsyn is an LGBTQ+ activist and trans man from Moscow. He has been known for his kind and giving nature as well as his activism. Yan Dvorkin, the head of trans and nonbinary support group Centre T, shares, “Mark took in people who were left on the street and needed help, sleeping on the floor himself and living like that for weeks until people found work. Or he would travel across Moscow to bring food or clean the flat of someone who was severely depressed. He got involved in fundraising for people who needed help; (he) always tried to support others.”

In 2022 he was arrested for demonstrating against Russia’s attacks on the Ukraine and posting against it on social media. Kislitsyn is currently in custody after he was arrested for “treason” in December of 2023 for sending the equivalent of $10 to a Ukrainian bank account. Amnesty International, a global human rights organization, is calling for his immediate release, as he is reportedly suffering from “inhuman and degrading conditions.”

The Moscow City Court sentenced Kislitsyn to 12 years in a penal colony, and he has been placed in a women’s facility. He has been placed in IK-9 in Novosibirsk, where he is forced to dress in women’s clothing and is being denied the gender-affirming hormonal treatments that he needs. Natalia Prilutskaya, Amnesty International’s Russia Researcher, says Kislitsyn’s imprisonment on treason charges “defies common sense.” She also notes that, “The real aim of this prosecution is not protecting state security but punishing a committed human rights activist for his anti-war position.” It has also been reported that on top of the other mistreatment, Kislitsyn has been forced to spend long periods in solitary confinement, which is known to be a form of psychological torture. Amnesty International is demanding the release of Kislitsyn all anti-war activists in Russia.

In a letter from his prison, Kislitsyn wrote, “Those who are trying to intimidate me … can do me a little harm, but no matter what they do, they cannot make me renounce my beliefs, lose my sense of belonging to my country or even ruin my mood.”

Photo Courtesy of Amnesty International