Appeal to Putin brings second legal case against Kursk Deputy

The Investigative Committee for Russia's Kursk region has opened a second criminal case against Kursk Duma Deputy Olga Lee. The Deputy is now being taken to court for making extremist statements. She already had a libel case against her.

The second case relates to a YouTube clip she posted online at the beginning of March. In the clip, the Deputy makes an appeal to President Vladimir Putin in which she sharply criticizes his policies. She says the combination of Putin's domestic and foreign policies have led to the collapse of the Russian financial system. She also spoke of a “conspiracy in the higher echelons of power” against the Russian people.

Investigators accuse the Deputy of disseminating written versions of the appeal, along with additional clips of YouTube recording, which may contain sentiments that “aim to humiliate” representatives of the authorities.

The first libel case relates to an article she published in the newspaper, The People's Journalist—for which she is an editor—that accused a Kursk regional court judge of making unjust rulings. The judge complained to the Attorney General's Office.