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Moscow courts handed down sentences to at least 13 people detained after the Communist Party rally on 4 October. Nine people were fined, while four were placed under arrest.
The rally and march
On Sunday, 4 October, the Communist Party (KPRF) held an authorised rally at the Krasnopresnenskaya Zastava in Moscow, after which participants walked to the memorial for those killed during the storming of the White House in October 1993.
During the event, participants chanted: “We want freedom,” “No to political repression,” “Freedom for political prisoners,” “Down with the party of crooks and thieves,” and other slogans. Security forces began detaining people suddenly after the slogan “Down with the tsar!” was shouted. According to the detention reports, the rally was authorised, but the subsequent march was not.
A total of about 60 people were taken to police stations, and at least 15 of them were held overnight.
Fines
- The Presnensky District Court in Moscow fined six of those detained 10,000 roubles each (approx. US$100), reports SOTAvision, citing lawyer Oskar Cherdzhiev. All six spent 48 hours at the police station and did not admit guilt. According to the lawyer, the Moscow mayor’s office refused to confirm that the Communist Party rally was authorised.
- Tatyana Ustinova was fined 25,000 roubles (approx. US$250), and her daughter Mariya Ratova 20,000 roubles (approx. US$200). Both stated that they were not participating in the rally and were on their way to the zoo when they ended up in the crowd by chance. Ustinova said that her daughter gave testimony under pressure, saying she had chanted slogans. Ustinova is suspected to have a rare genetic disease—Fahr’s syndrome—and has also been diagnosed with glaucoma. During the hearing, she experienced tremors and had to be given an injection by paramedics.
- Mariya Usoltseva was fined 4,000 roubles (approx. US$40) under the article for failure to obey a lawful order by a police officer (Part 1, Article 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences). According to the court, she refused to comply with a police demand to stop participating in the march and accompany them to the station.
Arrests
- Vladimir Bodyashkin was sentenced to 15 days’ arrest. He said that he has been taking part in KPRF anniversary marches commemorating the events of October 1993 for two years and that they had previously been peaceful. According to him, the slogan “No to political repression” had been authorised for the rally, but participants later switched it to “Freedom for political prisoners,” as they found it similarly meaningful.
- Kirill Martemyanov was sentenced to 14 days’ arrest under the article for failure to obey a lawful order by a police officer (Part 1, Article 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offences).
- Kamilya Fetiskina was sentenced to ten days’ arrest. She said that she came to honour the memory of those who died, though she does not support the Communist Party in everything. According to Fetiskina, she did not chant slogans nor carry flowers.
- Darya Korolkova was also sentenced to ten days’ arrest. She reported that those detained spent the night in a cell infested with bedbugs. The judge asked Korolkova why she was interested in the events of 1993.
The defence for Bodyashkin, Fetiskina, Korolkova, Ustinova and Ratova requested that police officers be summoned to court and that their body camera footage be requested, but the court refused.