Holidays in prison

Left Front activist Konstantin Kosyakin, one of the three applicants for the December 31 action on Triumfalnaya, which did not receive the highest permission from the Moscow authorities, received 10 days of arrest. Kosyakin was detained on December 31, and on January 2, the magistrate court found him guilty of resisting police officers. He spent all this time in custody.

The second co-applicant, the leader of the Other Russia, Eduard Limonov, was also detained on December 31, but not even on the square, but upon leaving his own apartment. On the same day, the magistrate found him guilty of petty hooliganism. The indictment stated that he swore obscenely and pushed police officers away from him.

During the action, among other things, representatives of Solidarity and members of the People's Freedom Party Boris Nemtsov and Ilya Yashin were detained. At the same time, they took part in the rally, which received the highest permission, but upon leaving there they were taken away. At first they were accused, like other detainees, of trying to cross the roadway in an unspecified place, but then the charge was reclassified - it turns out that they also showed disobedience to the legal demands of the police officers. Both were left in custody, and Magistrate Olga Borovkova is due to sentence them on December 2. The trial is taking place at court site No. 369 of the Tverskoy district. Present at the meeting on the Nemtsov case are the head of the Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseeva, the head of the movement “For Human Rights” Lev Ponomarev, actress Natalya Fateeva, member of the People's Freedom Party Vladimir Ryzhkov, television journalist, member of the Public Chamber Nikolai Svanidze.

It should be noted that the current court order is not consistent with what was previously reported. So, Yashin expected that he would be tried in the evening, however, he was brought to court in the morning, and now he is waiting for the end of the trial of Nemtsov. In addition, it was initially reported that Nemtsov would be tried in another court.

Eyewitnesses reported on Twitter that Nemtsov had a document in his hands called “Continuation to the Protocol,” which stated that on December 31 he cursed President Dmitry Medvedev with obscene language.

Nemtsov’s lawyer filed a petition to summon the official representative of the Moscow City Internal Affairs Directorate, Viktor Biryukov, to court, since his statement on NTV contradicts the official accusation. In addition, a petition was filed to include three video recordings of Nemtsov’s detention in the case. Judge Borovkova rejected both requests. Nemtsov responded to this by saying that the refusal to include the video of the arrest demonstrates the obvious bias of the court. Eyewitnesses also report that the judge refused to give Nemtsov a chair.

According to Nemtsov, the protocol on his arrest contains an absolute lie. He suggested that the judge test the police officers with a lie detector.

Lyudmila Alekseeva, Lev Ponomarev, Natalya Fateeva acted as defense witnesses. Fateeva called Nemtsov’s detention a planned police action. According to her, Nemtsov and Yashin were detained in three seconds, and none of the police officers introduced themselves. Nemtsov’s daughter Zhanna spoke next. She confirmed that he was surrounded by police officers and no one introduced themselves. She was followed by the editor-in-chief of the Daily Journal, Alexander Ryklin. He stated that he had not heard any legal demands from the police that Nemtsov could disobey. Ryklin suggested that the police whispered them in Nemtsov’s ear. Witness Tsarkov, when asked by the judge whether he heard Nemtsov shouting any slogans, replied that he shouted the slogan “Happy New Year!” Witness Davydov stated that Nemtsov did not swear at state leaders. To the lawyer’s clarifying question whether he knew what swearing was, Davydov replied that he knew and would be happy to express it to them. One way or another, defense witnesses testified that Nemtsov with his daughter and friends were walking towards the metro, but then the police blocked their way and detained Nemtsov and Yashin.

When, after the presentation of defense witness Maria Turchenkova, prosecution witnesses, riot police officers Ukhabov and Polyakov, began speaking, someone brought Nemtsov a chair, but the judge denied the accused the right to sit down. Solidarity member Semyon Zon-Zam defiantly left the courtroom, saying that he did not want to listen to the police officers’ perjury. The riot policeman who allegedly detained Nemtsov said: “This citizen did not respond to my proposal to calm down and continued to shout slogans against the president and Putin.” He admitted that he did not show Nemtsov his identification. Eyewitnesses write that the judge removed every third question from the defense to witnesses. Riot policeman Polyakov said that Nemtsov refused to go to the rally.

Nemtsov filed a second petition to include the video footage in the case, but he was again denied.

After this, Judge Borovkova left to write the decision and, upon returning, announced that Nemtsov was sentenced to 15 days of arrest. According to the judge, the testimony of witnesses to Nemtsov’s detention is refuted by the written materials of the case.

Next the judge took up Ilya Yashin. Thus, his case actually began to be considered in the evening. It is not clear why they kept him in the car near the court for so many hours. Yashin began by challenging the judge. The reason is the belief that its decisions are politically motivated. Yashin was also denied the right to sit on a chair. Well, in the judge's challenge, of course. After this, according to eyewitnesses, everyone except Yashin and the lawyer left the court in protest. Meanwhile, police witnesses Kondrashov and Charukhin entered the hall. This time, the judge did not take much time to hold a hearing and then make a decision - Yashin received five days of arrest.

On January 3 at 12.00 a series of single pickets will begin against the arrests of Limonov, Kosyakin, Nemtsov, Yashin and other oppositionists.