Protesters at the presidential administration reception remain in custody

On February 4, 2005, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow extended the term of detention for four, and on February 15, for the remaining 35 arrested activists of the National Bolshevik Party who participated in a protest action in the reception room of the presidential administration of the Russian Federation on December 14, 2004.

"The defense of all activists filed a cassation complaint with the Moscow City Court, in which it asks to cancel the court decision and change the measure of restraint for members of the NBP ," said D. Agranovsky, one of the lawyers of the arrested.

The arrested National Bolsheviks were charged under articles 214 "Vandalism", 167 part 2 "Intentional damage to property" and 278 "Forcible seizure of power" of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. On February 16, 2005, the Moscow City Prosecutor's Office changed the articles of accusation against the National Bolsheviks; now they are accused under the article "Mass Riots" - the National Bolsheviks face up to ten years in prison.

The reception office of the presidential administration received an open letter to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin from the parents of the National Bolsheviks who took part in a protest action in the reception office of the president's administration. The letter said that, in the opinion of the parents of the detainees, their children did not commit criminal acts, and therefore the charges against them were unlawful. “Our children carried out a peaceful action, it was not accompanied by “violence, pogroms, arson, destruction of property, the use of firearms, explosive devices, armed resistance to government officials” - that is, there was nothing in the actions of our children that could qualify them for Article 212, part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation While inside the building of the Presidential Administration, the protesters did not damage the furniture and equipment, did not destroy the property that was in the seized office. They did not have any weapons with them." At the end of the letter, the parents of the National Bolsheviks demand that Putin, as the guarantor of the constitution, respect the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, and accordingly "to clear our children of criminal charges they did not commit and release them from prisons . "

On April 1, 2005, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office extended the investigation into the case until August 14. This was announced by the lawyer of one of the accused Dmitry Agranovsky. In addition, the lawyer recalled that on April 14, 2005, the period of detention of members of the NBP expires.

"In the near future, the prosecutor's office, apparently, will apply to the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow with a petition to extend the arrest of the accused ," the lawyer said.

Sources

• The court extended until April 14 the detention period for NBP activists accused of attempting to seize power // NEWSru.com. 2005. February 4.
• The court extended the term of detention for NBP activists // Newspaper. 2005. February 15.
• 25 February. Relatives of the National Bolsheviks who seized the reception of the presidential administration turned to Putin // NEWSru.com. 2005. February 25.
• The investigation into the case of the "seizure of the presidential administration" has been extended // Gazeta.Ru. 2005. April 1st.