The Zyuzinsky District Court of Moscow dismissed the case of Konstantin Yankauskas, a municipal deputy of the Zyuzino district, about «discrediting» the army (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). A Mediazona correspondent reports this from the courtroom.
In August, a protocol was drawn up against the deputy because of a Facebook post with the Pope's prayer for peace. The publication contained only the words of the pontiff; Jankauskas did not accompany it with his own comments.
According to Major Andrey Maev, who drew up the protocol, the prayer «called for obstruction» of the use of Russian troops in Ukraine. Jankauskas pleaded not guilty at the trial.
“I don't quite understand what to say at the trial. How can praying for peace and life discredit someone? This is some kind of absurdity and a real attempt to call white black,” the deputy said about this case. -context-cite__image» alt=»1″ />Mundep Jankauskas is on trial under an article about “discrediting” the Pope for praying. Online
Lawyer Maria Eismont insisted that one should not be tried for calls for peace, because pacifism is not a forbidden ideology — there is neither misanthropy nor discrimination in it. She called the citation of the prayer of Pope Francis the realization of the right to freedom of speech.
The defense asked to interrogate as witnesses a Catholic priest who could explain the meaning of the statements of the Pope, as well as Major Maev. The court denied the petitions, adding only a printout of the Vatican news to the case file to confirm that Jankauskas' post was about the words of the pontiff.
The meeting was originally supposed to take place on August 29, but it was postponed to September 1. The court asked for a decision on the refusal on the complaint of Jankauskas, who was banned from participating in municipal elections due to «involvement in the extremist organization Navalny's Headquarters».