"Memorial" recognized Mikhail Savva with political prisoners

The human rights center Memorial recognized the professor of the Kuban State University of human rights activist Mikhail Savva by a political prisoner, the press service of the organization reports . The Memorial considers accusations against him contradictory and unreasonable. The center demands to free Savva from custody and objectively investigate his business.

“There are several grounds to talk about the political motivation for the persecution of Professor Savva. The investigation and the court are clearly addicted. The FSB is engaged in the investigation of the case. In addition, Savva was arrested three days before his planned speech to the Presidential Council under the President, dedicated to the persecution of NPOs in the Krasnodar Territory,” the report said.

On April 12, Savva was detained after the searches that the FSB spent in his apartment and garage. A week before this, the social activist was removed from work in the Council for Human Rights under the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory, where he was deputy chairman. On April 13, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Krasnodar arrested Savva for two months. On April 29, the regional court left him in custody. The publicist was charged with part 3 of Article 159.2 of the Criminal Code (fraud upon receipt of payments using his official position). He faces up to five years in the colony.

According to the FSB, Savva is guilty of the theft of budget money received by the public organization "Southern Regional Resource Center" as a grant. The center transferred 366 thousand rubles for a sociological study on the attitude of local residents to migrants. The security forces insist that in fact, the study was not conducted. However, work on the project "Building the World" was accepted by the customer. Another defendant in the case, which can be stored by the originals of the project materials, is hidden.

Savva’s persecution was preceded by searches in the office of the URRC, where he served as director of grant programs. For the first time, the FSB came there on March 14. On this day, all documents regarding the project were seized, as well as a computer. A few days later, a prosecutor’s check took place, and on April 9, the organization again came from the FSB. This time they seized all the documentation. On April 16, a third search was held in the URC.

On April 15, the URC sent the appeal to the country's leadership and members of the Public Chamber in connection with the arrest of Savva. “The public has not received a clear answer about the accusations against Mikhail Savve,” the document says. “This is not worthless, since it is impossible to formally bring it to - a person is neither the head of the organization nor an accountant. The project aimed at solving the problems of migrants is carried out on time, qualitatively, the report on him is accepted and has no comments from the customer - the administration of the Krasnodar Territory”

Call several possible reasons for the arrest of Savva. So, on April 15, he was supposed to speak during a special meeting of the Council under the President for Human Rights with a report "Checking the NGOs: the spent resources, the results obtained". In addition, Savva managed to file complaints to the prosecutor’s office and the UK, in which he stated the illegality of the FSB actions during inspections at the Kuban NPO. Finally, for a long time, the URC has financed the Makanturov Foundation.

After the arrest of Savva, a campaign for his support began. Single pickets passed at the regional control of the FSB. On April 27, pickets and rally took place in the Chistyakovsky grove of Krasnodar. In the name of the Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and the director of the FSB Alexander Bortnikov, deputy requests were sent. A public investigation is underway. In social networks, communities dedicated to his cause have been created. The site "Protect Professor Savva" began work. Signatures are collected under the appeal in his support.