Russian Activist Convicted Of Mocking Putin Released
March 04, 2021 11:25 GMT
Share
share
Print
SAMARA, Russia A court in the Russian city of Samara has found civil rights activist Karim Yamadayev guilty but said he should be released after spending more than a year in detention for mocking President Vladimir Putin and two of his close associates online.
The Central District Military Court on March 4 found Karim Yamadayev guilty of public calls for terrorism and insulting authorities and ordered him to pay a fine of 300,000 rubles ($4,000).
The court also barred Yamadayev, who was held in the Tatarstan region before being moved to Samara, from being an administrator on social networks for 2 1/2 years.
Камера, мотор, приговор
kommersant.ru - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kommersant.ru Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Для россиянина запросили более 6 лет тюрьмы за ролик про вымышленный суд над Путиным
rusplt.ru - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rusplt.ru Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pussy Riot’s “Caution: Fragile” performance, Moscow. November 28, 2020. © 2020 Pussy Riot
Performances by artists and activists on political topics have been a sensitive spot for the Russian authorities for years. But as the authorities’ crackdown on civil society intensifies, so does the creative non-violent response exposing and drawing attention to it.
This in turn increases the pressure authorities exert on the artists and activists in efforts to crush free speech. The flurry of prosecutions in recent months has made this clear.
On November 28, two women dressed in costumes like those worn by Snegurochka (“Snowgirl”), a companion to Russia’s version of Santa Claus, were on a central square in Moscow. With them was a man dressed as a riot police officer. He stood with his back to a lamp post while the women tied him up with packaging tape and signs reading “Careful, Fragile.”