On a Sunday evening of July 28th. Nineteen-year-old convict Kevin Lik spent six hours at the reception desk of Penal Colony 14 in Arkhangelsk Oblast. At that time, he could not imagine what would happen next. He asked the head of the jail who had come for him if they were going to shoot him. And the warden replied: “Don’t worry, it’s okay.”
Kevin had experienced such reassurances before. Previously, he received similar promises from an officer of FSB, a Russian state security agency who later jailed him for over one year. Now, Kevin was supposed to be set free as part of a prisoner swap deal between Russia and the United States and other Western countries. With his fellow countryman Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist among them, he was released on August 1st as one out of sixteen.
A young life upside down Kevin Lik
Kevin holds both German and Russian citizenships; he was arrested as a student aged less than eighteen years old thereby becoming the youngest person sentenced for treason during modern times in Russia. In 2017 Kevin along with his mother Victoria (née Schmalz) moved from Germany to Russia where they settled in Maykop – a town located in North Caucasus region; while there, Kevin enjoyed exploring nature around town as well as showing remarkable academic performance.
His enthusiasm for academics is evident whenever he displays certificates won from various national competitions or contests at school level. But it was the Russian presidential elections held two years ago that actually sparked his interest in politics. The teenager describes how his mother would return home after being forced to vote for Vladimir Putin by those who threaten her bonus payment.
Silent protest which has consequences
Kevin grew even more disillusioned with Russia’s political system. When he saw portraits of Putin scattered all over his school premises. That infuriated him so that he took some action against it since it was like promoting personality cult. He sneaked into his classroom and substituted one of the portraits of Putin with an image of opposition leader Navalny. The act provoked a public outcry. And one teacher ominously remarked that during Stalin’s time Kevin would have been shot for such defiance. Though another educationalist cautioned him to be careful. It was his mother who bore the brunt of school’s fury when she was summoned and harshly reproached.
Now, after going through tough conditions at a Russian penal colony, Kevin reflects on what he went through there. Despite his release, he feels like a pawn in a much bigger geopolitical game which forever changed his life. BBC has contacted the school to comment on Kevin’s story but they are yet to react.
