Security forces detained lawyer and activist from Vologda Yevgeny Molotov, and his home was searched. This was reported by PZK “Memorial.”
What exactly became the reason for the criminal prosecution and under what article the case was opened is not yet known. On January 24, the court must choose a preventive measure for Molotov. According to human rights activists, the persecution of the activist may be related to “cooperation with the FBK” created by politician Alexei Navalny.
The Anti-Corruption Foundation and Navalny’s headquarters were recognized as “extremist organizations” in June 2021, on August 4 of the same year this decision came into force. After this, those who continued to cooperate with Navalny’s team began to be prosecuted under extremist articles, including 282.2 and 282.3 of the Criminal Code. The reason for the criminal cases, among other things, were donations to FBK.
In addition, soon after the ban on Navalny’s structures, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case on the extremist community (Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code) against the oppositionist’s associates. Later, in this case, the courts sentenced several former employees of Navalny’s headquarters to real terms — in particular, the ex-head of the headquarters in Ufa Liliya Chanysheva, the former head of the headquarters in Tomsk Ksenia Fadeeva, the ex-employee of the Navalny LIVE YouTube channel Daniel Kholodny and others.
As Memorial writes, since 2011 Molotov has been involved in public activities in Vologda, and in 2014 he was a candidate for deputy of the city duma.