Chronicle of current events

October 12 – 16

October 13, Tuesday

The FSB banned the sister of Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko from entering Russia until September 1, 2020. Vera Savchenko herself reported on her Facebook page that she was not allowed into the country at the Chertkovo-Melovoe checkpoint. Her sister's lawyer, Mark Feygin, suggests that the basis for the ban was Part 1 of Art. 27 of the law “On the procedure for leaving the Russian Federation and entering the Russian Federation,” which states that entry to a foreign citizen is prohibited if “this is necessary in order to ensure the defense capability or security of the state.” The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in its commentary noted that “the actions of the Russian side are a gross and demonstrative violation of the procedural rights” of Nadezhda and Vera Savchenko. As the lawyers of the Ukrainian soldier Mark Feigin and Nikolai Polozov emphasize, Vera Savchenko is one of the two main witnesses for the defense. The lawyers petitioned to ensure her participation in the process, and also announced their intention to file a complaint against the actions of the FSB.

October 15, Thursday

Boris Nemtsov became one of the finalists for the Andrei Sakharov Prize “For Freedom of Thought”. As noted on the prize’s website, Nemtsov was “a fearless fighter for freedom and democracy in Russia.” The message highlights the work of the murdered politician on the report “Putin. War”, which contains evidence of the participation of the Russian military in the conflict in Ukraine. “He continued this work despite intimidation and pressure from the Kremlin, and was killed outside its walls a few weeks after he began his investigation,” the report said. In addition to Boris Nemtsov, the shortlist for the award included Saudi writer and activist Raif Badawi and the Venezuelan Democratic Unity Round Table.

October 16, Friday

Alexei Navalny was fined for “failure to comply with legal requirements” of bailiffs. On Tuesday, October 13, the oppositionist refused to allow representatives of the Federal Bailiff Service into his apartment, who came to inventory his property as part of the “Yves Rocher case.” As Navalny himself emphasizes, according to the law, the inventory and seizure of property can be carried out from 6.00 to 22.00, but the bailiffs were going to do this at 20.30, “at night,” given that “this is a multi-hour battle with witnesses.” According to the politician, he did not want to “voluntarily show children a show with special forces in their room, rummaging through things,” as a result of which he was fined 2,500 rubles.

“My sister is prohibited from entering Russia. I didn’t really understand the morbid sense of humor of the FSB men. Firstly, this is the only witness on my part. Why am I forbidden to defend myself from you? Moreover, this moral pressure is almost the only person who could support me,” from Nadezhda Savchenko’s speech at the court hearing on October 15

Ukrainian pilot Nadezhda Savchenko in the Donetsk city court of the Rostov region, October 6, 2015

---

* “Chronicle of Current Events” - a typewritten human rights newsletter, distributed in samizdat in 1968-1983