The representative of the prosecutor's office asked to sentence actionist Pavel Krisevich to five years in a general regime colony because of the action near the Kremlin. This was reported by a Mediazona correspondent from the Tverskoy District Court of Moscow.
The trial in the Krisevich case is underway for the second time. The state prosecution requested the same sentence that was assigned to him in October 2022 during the first trial.
In his last word, Krisevich said that the pistol he used for the protest cannot be considered a weapon: “Please take into account that the weapon to give a signal, the R-411 is not a weapon, it is on free sale from the age of 18, and in the practice of Moscow courts, it is not classified as a weapon for hooliganism. It’s like a shot at a running competition does not become a reason to initiate a criminal case — it’s a signal to start. My case was classified under part two (Article 213 of the Criminal Code — hooliganism with the use of a weapon), only to maintain the severity of the charge.»
He also asked to either acquit him or reclassify the charges to articles of the Administrative Code on petty hooliganism (20.1 Code of Administrative Offences) or shooting in populated areas (20.13 Code of Administrative Offenses).
“In the existing qualifications, I do not recognize the accusation. And of course, I would like to say that real hooligans have the goal of gaining pleasure from their actions and bringing suffering to others. They do not sympathize and do not see responsibility for themselves. I want to show that I am not a hooligan and it’s a pity that they so often try to see hooliganism behind a civil position,” added Krisevich.
Against the fear of the state, the fear of the sky and the fear of the “inner beast of man.” The court sentenced actionist Krisevich to 5 years in a colony for firing shots on Red Square
In June 2021, the actionist, then 20 years old, fired noise rounds twice into the air on Red Square. Then he pointed a cold pistol at himself with the inscription “control shot” on the handle.
Krisevich explained his performance as a protest against political repression in Russia. Before the shot, he read out a manifesto ending with the words: “We will respond to force and repression with fearlessness. After all, there will be no more fear. Shots will follow in front of the Kremlin curtain.”
He was accused of hooliganism with the use of a weapon (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code) and was arrested. In the fall of 2022, he was sentenced to five years in prison, but the decision was overturned and the case was sent for further investigation.
Before the rally on Red Square, Krisevich was placed under administrative arrest several times. After one of them, when an actionist imitated the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in Lubyanka, he was expelled from the first year of RUDN University at the end of 2021.
Updated at 16:14. Added a quote from Krisevich's last word.