Poems destroying the security of the state, the new case of Tolokonnikova * and Safronov's stage. Chronicle of current repressions
A year ago, in record time, the Russian authorities adopted amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code, which made it possible to prosecute citizens who disagreed with the special operation. As soon as the “fake” articles came into force, investigators began to churn out cases, and Russian courts began to issue mass convictions. Already this year, the State Duma, with even greater frenzy, decided to tighten these articles. The bill assumes that now they will be punished not only for “discrediting” and spreading “fakes” about the Russian army, but also for “discrediting” volunteer detachments, as well as organizations and individuals helping the Russian military. The toughening will also apply to punishment. About how the authorities continue to persecute the opponents of the SVO — in the next issue of the Chronicle of Current Repressions. This week we have collected a large selection of new cases on the most absurd «fake» allegations.
«Fakes» and «discredit»
The Lomonosov Court of the Leningrad Region sent activist and businessman Dmitry Skurikhin to a pre-trial detention center after initiating a second criminal case for «discrediting» the Russian military, according to the human rights project Network Freedoms.
The entrepreneur was banned from certain actions in a criminal case about » discrediting the army (part 1 of article 280.3 of the Criminal Code) for a post in support of Ukraine. The reason for the second case was his picket on his knees with a poster «Sorry, Ukraine» on February 24th. The next day, Skurikhin was detained, and later the court took him into custody.
Skurikhin has his own store in the village of Russko-Vysotskoye, Leningrad Region. On the facade of the building, he placed political and pacifist inscriptions.
* * *
In mid-April, the FSB abducted, according to the victim, and beat a citizen of Kirov, Richard Rose, accused in the case of “fake news” » about the army motivated by political hatred (paragraph «d» part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code) and calls for extremism (Article 280 of the Criminal Code). He spoke about this at a meeting in the Central District Military Court in Yekaterinburg.
“The car stopped, armed men ran out and started beating me. My wife was also kidnapped and taken in an unknown direction. They put me in handcuffs, put me face down on the floor, and kicked me. <…> They brought me to the FSB building. Instead of answering my questions about who they were, they beat me on the back, on the face, on the legs, ”Rose said at the trial.
He indicated the names of the security officials who beat him — they were allegedly Yuferov and Kolevatov. The latter, according to the activist, came to him in the pre-trial detention center and threatened him. Rose also said that the beatings were recorded in the temporary detention center, but later these documents disappeared.
A criminal case on military «fakes» against the spouses of Richard and Mary Rose was opened in April. Later, charges of public calls for extremism were added to the case. According to investigators, they published photos and videos from Ukrainian Bucha on VKontakte.
At the end of December, the spouses were added to the list of extremists and terrorists. Shortly before this, Maria Rose, who was banned by the court from certain actions, was able to leave Russia with her son.
* * *
Media manager Ilya Krasilshchik was charged in absentia in the case of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army (clause “d” part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code), said Sergey Badamshin, Ilya’s lawyer.
The case against Krasilshchik was opened in April 2022. The basis for the harassment was a post on Instagram**. The dyer is located outside of Russia. In July, the Interior Ministry put him on the wanted list. In August, Ilya's ruble and currency accounts were arrested as part of a criminal case.
* * *
The Deputy Prosecutor of Khakassia approved the charge in a criminal case against Mikhail Afanasyev, editor-in-chief of the Novy Focus publication, writes human rights activist Pavel Chikov on his Telegram channel. The case will be considered in the Abakan City Court.
In November 2022, they already tried to consider the case against Afanasyev on the merits, but later returned to the prosecutor's office. In December, the Supreme Court of Khakassia approved this decision, emphasizing that the investigation did not have key information — the place and time of publication of the posts that became the reason for the persecution of the journalist.
Afanasyev is charged under the article on “fake news” about the army using his official position (clause “a”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The reason for initiating the case was the publication of Novy Focus about OMON fighters.
“The National Guard is not part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, any information about it, regardless of the veracity, was not criminally punishable until April 5 (on that day they entered by virtue of an amendment to article 207.3 of the Criminal Code, extending its scope to “execution by state bodies of the Russian Federation of their powers outside the territory of the Russian Federation.” — Ed.),” Chikov emphasizes.
* * *
A criminal case has been opened against Leonid Rybakov, a resident of Tomsk, for re-discrediting the army (part 1 of article 280.3 of the Criminal Code), Sibir. Realii”* with reference to Rybakov himself.
“The search took place on the day of Boris Nemtsov's death. Traditionally, they took away all the equipment and even, for some reason, Boris’s book “Confessions of a Rebel,” Rybakov added.
A criminal case was initiated due to comments on the VKontakte website. In December, an unknown user left a photo of General and former commander of the Russian army in Ukraine Sergei Surovikin on Rybakov's page. Under the publication, Rybakov left two impartial comments.
Earlier, Rybakov was fined twice under an administrative article about “discrediting” the Russian army: 45 thousand rubles for participating in the rally, 40 thousand rubles for the flag of Ukraine and poster hung in the window of his apartment.
* * *
A 71-year-old resident of the city of Shakhty in the Rostov Region, Yevgenia Maiboroda, was prosecuted under the article on the dissemination of military “fakes” motivated by political hatred (clause “d” part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The card of her case was first noticed in OVD-Info*.
The press service of the Shakhty City Court told reporters that on February 14, Mayboroda was prevented from using certain actions: she cannot use the Internet.
p>
In January, it became known that Mayboroda was fined 40,000 rubles under the administrative article on discrediting the army (part 1, article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). It follows from the court ruling that publications on the personal page of the VKontakte website were the reason.
* * *
The Kiselevsk City Court of the Kemerovo Region sentenced local activist Bulat Shumekov to seven years penal colonies for military «fakes», reports the telegram channel «Kuzbass without extremism».
The case against the activist was opened in April 2022. Then Bulat was sent to a pre-trial detention center. In the spring of 2022, Shumekov was fined three times under the article on discrediting the army (parts 1 and 2 of article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The reasons were a single picket, a post calling not to participate in a concert in support of the SVO, and a poster posted in the apartment window.
Penalty for a drawing on a bench
In Sevastopol the police opened a criminal case against a 62-year-old resident of Balaklava because of the drawings of Ukrainian flags on city benches, according to the group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the VKontakte website. The woman was accused of vandalism (Part 2 of Article 214 of the Criminal Code).
According to investigators, “with the help of a paint brush and cans of paints” she “applied Ukrainian symbols on the walls of houses, fences and benches” in the center of Balaklava. “This caused a significant public outcry and indignation among the residents of the hero city of Sevastopol,” the local Ministry of Internal Affairs reports. Ukraine and wanted to support it.»
The woman was detained with the participation of employees of the «E» center and the FSB.
The case of teacher Tushkanov
Employees of the pre-trial detention center in Komi, where local teacher Nikita Tushkanov is on charges of calling for «justification of terrorism» because of statements about the Crimean bridge, spoiled his jacket and food from the transfer from his relatives.
According to the arrested person, all the food and things were cut into small pieces.
“The meanest thing on the part of the SIZO employees is that they cut the jacket that we handed over to Nikita,” the telegram channel says support groups.
“But it was necessary to be quiet, and everything would be fine,” Tushkanov quotes a prison officer who gave him a damaged jacket and food cut into small pieces.
The case against Tolokonnikova*
A criminal case was opened against a member of the Pussy Riot group Nadezhda Tolokonnikova * for insulting the feelings of believers (part 1 of article 148 of the Criminal Code), Pavel Chikov said. The basis for the case was her publications in social networks. According to Chikov, a series of searches were carried out as part of the case. A year ago, RBC wrote that the Investigative Committee was checking Tolokonnikova for «insulting the feelings of believers.» She herself has been living in the United States for several years.
“Tyumen case” of anti-fascists
Arrested in the “Tyumen case”, Kirill Brik refused a lawyer under an agreement provided him a support group. Information about this appeared in the telegram channel «Tyumen business». His supporters attributed this decision to pressure from the security forces.
“It is likely that Kirill is being persuaded to sign a pre-trial agreement with the investigation in order to put the rest of the defendants in the case on the basis of his verdict,” the authors of the telegram channel fear.
Earlier, at least two more defendants in the case — Roman Paklin and Deniz Aydin was offered to conclude a pre-trial agreement. But they refused.
Step to Krasnoyarsk
Journalist Ivan Safronov, convicted in the case of treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code), was transferred to IK-7 of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Members of his support group, who received a letter from the journalist, wrote about this on their Telegram channel.
Safronov said that the journey from the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center in Moscow to the colony took about three weeks.
“ My route from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk took about three weeks, which is considered fast. I saw many people, visited various prisons and transits, changed God knows how many «Stolypins» (cars for prisoners. — Ed.). But, as before, I can say with confidence: life, in spite of everything, is everywhere, ”Safronov wrote.
You can now send your message to Ivan using the FSIN letter website. When writing a letter through the service, you must select the Krasnoyarsk Territory, IK-7, p. Areyskoye, indicate the recipient Safronov Ivan Ivanovich, born in 1990
Arrest of an apartment and a summer residence for a fine of 5000
Employees of the Main Directorate of the Federal Bailiff Service for the Moscow Region seized the property of RBC editor Petr Kanaev due to an unpaid fine of five thousand rubles. This is reported by the publication itself.
Bailiffs arrested Kanaev's apartment and dacha in the Stupino district of the Moscow region. The reason for this is a fine of 4,000 rubles and a fine of 1,000 rubles under the protocol on the dissemination of information about a “foreign agent” without mentioning his status (part 2.1 of article 13.15 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
At the end of April 2021, RBC published the text “Why the leadership of the FBK *** is charged with an article from the cases of “God Kuzi” and “Aum Shinrikyo”. It contains a commentary by Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the Sova Information and Analytical Center*. In December 2021, Kanaev was fined for mentioning Sova without adding that the Ministry of Justice recognized the center as a “foreign agent.”
“There are quite a lot of such fines all the time, I could miss one. Usually they are automatically deducted from the salary. But I consider the decision to arrest my apartment and dacha because of a debt of 5,000 rubles from the point of view of the proportionality of the scale of the violation and the punishment that followed it, I consider it inexplicably excessive,” Kanaev said.
for poetry
The figures in the Mayakovsky case, Artem Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Daineko, were charged with new charges for calling for activities directed against the security of the state, committed by a group of persons (part 3 of article 280.4 of the Criminal Code), reported in telegram channel of a support group for young people.
A criminal case under the article on inciting hatred with the threat of violence (clause “a” part 2 of article 282 of the Criminal Code) against Kamardin, Shtovba and Daineko was initiated back in September, since then they have been in a pre-trial detention center. The reason for initiating the case was a poem that Kamardin read at the monument to Mayakovsky on September 25, 2022, during the “anti-mobilization” Mayakovsky Readings. and DNR. In October, Kamardin and Daineko were charged under paragraph “a” of Part 2 of Art. 282 of the Criminal Code, however, as follows from the decision to bring charges under Article 280.4 of the Criminal Code, paragraph “a” was later replaced by paragraph “c” — that is, instead of threatening violence, young people were charged with actions by an organized group.
* Introduced Ministry of Justice to the register of “foreign agents”.
** The social network is part of the Meta company, which is recognized as an extremist organization, and its activities are banned in the Russian Federation.
*** Declared extremist, the activities of the organization banned in Russia.
