Local MP convicted of calls for separatism

In Petrozavodsk yesterday, a verdict was announced against local deputy Vladimir Zavarkin, who was accused of calling for the separation of Karelia from Russia. He must pay a fine of 30 thousand rubles, although the defense notes that this is not the only consequence: Mr. Zavarkin, as convicted of extremism, will not be able to be a deputy and create social movements.

According to defenders, it will not be easy for deputy Zavarkin to live with a criminal record
Photo: Internet magazine 7x7

The sentence to deputy of the Suoyarvi district of Karelia Vladimir Zavarkin turned out to be softer than what the prosecutor’s office demanded. The day before, a representative of the state prosecution demanded that Mr. Zavarkin be sentenced under Art. 280.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Calls for violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation”) to a suspended sentence of two years. The court found that the deputy’s guilt was fully proven.

According to investigators, in May 2014, at a rally against the republican authorities, Vladimir Zavarkin, criticizing the situation in the public utilities sector in the region, exclaimed: “If the Russian Federation does not need us, then maybe we should hold a referendum and join Finland?” This was enough for the video of his speech to be recognized as extremist, and for the deputy himself to be recognized as a separatist.

As Mr. Zavarkin’s lawyer Dmitry Dinze told Kommersant, his client was sentenced to a fine of 30 thousand rubles. “But we will still appeal this decision, since we do not believe that the words contained at least some kind of appeal. This is just an emotional statement,” he said. Mr. Dinze noted that the relatively lenient sentence does not mean that his client’s life will not be complicated. As someone found guilty of an extremist crime, he will have to resign as a district deputy. At the same time, it will also not be easy for Mr. Zavarkin to fully engage in political activities: those convicted under such articles are prohibited from creating any social movements and organizations. In addition, he will now be listed in the Rosfinmonitoring register as an extremist.

According to the head of the human rights organization “Agora” Pavel Chikov, Art. 280.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation will be used more and more often in the future. It came into force in May 2014, but few criminal cases have been initiated under it. The practice, he noted, has already begun to take shape, and the geography of accusations of separatism is becoming wider. He recalled the case of left-wing activist Daria Polyudova, who became a defendant in a criminal case for attempting to hold a “March for the federalization of Kuban.” Also accused in absentia of calling for violation of territorial integrity is the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Refat Chubarov, who opposed the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation. Russian activist from Tatarstan Rafis Kashapov was recently convicted for calls to give the peninsula to Ukraine - he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Alexander Verkhovsky, who heads the SOVA Center, which studies the application of anti-extremist legislation, believes that the new article will be used more often in connection with discussions about the ownership of Crimea. “This is the most controversial topic in public discussion right now. Any statement on this topic sounds louder than the words of the same Zavarkin about Karelia, who, in my opinion, simply fell under the hot hand,” he told Kommersant. According to Mr. Verkhovsky, the verdict against the Karelian deputy should give other activists a clear signal that it is not worth arguing about the ownership of the peninsula.

Grigory Tumanov

The court upheld the inseparability of Karelia