Well, you’ll be with us in Kolyma...

Lawyer and human rights activist Mikhail Frolov told the SOVA Center the details of the case against Hare Krishnas, holding a prayer meeting without notifying the authorities.  

July 23, 2016 in Magadan, near the shopping center "Voskhod" on the street. Karl Marx d. 38 was held a traditional religious assembly of the followers of the Society for Krishna Consciousness, during which they chanted the Hare Krishna prayer. Similar events are regularly held in all major cities of the world, including Russia.

The assembly adopted participation of two people, who were later joined by a third. the weather was good, the event went quietly and calmly.

However, on July 27 police officers came to the believers' apartment and detained all those present. It turns out that the MIA of Russia for Magadan received three applications from citizens. Applicants demanded that the police deal with the "sectarians", who, in their opinion, "unceremoniously and behaved boorishly”, “for two weeks they roam the city, ... in every possible way harass passers-by, practically forcing them to buy books with any religious nonsense, they poison them with some artisanal sweets and defiantly sit on sidewalk, thus showing their disrespect, but simply bestial, disregard for local residents and authorities.

Without going into such deep esoteric questions, where is the line between religious nonsense and the oldest creed in the world, the police accused the believers of carrying out unauthorized picket and sent materials to the court.

The position of all believers was the same: a picket was not held, but a religious meeting was held, at which is not required to be notified. At the same time, each stated consideration of the case in the presence of a defense counsel and asked to adjourn the case for ensuring his arrival in Magadan.

Nikolai Kryukov Luckily, the judge refused him admission to the defender. Handled the matter immediately unreasonably ignored all the arguments of the accused and found him guilty according to part 2 of Art. 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Organization or holding a public event without filing in the prescribed manner notice), imposing a sentence of eight days of administrative arrest. Nicholas was immediately taken to carry out the punishment imposed on him. Reacted humanely, when they found out that he was a vegetarian, they allowed fellow believers to wear him vegetarian food, otherwise eight days of arrest would have turned into eight days for him days of hunger strike.

On two other believers Oleg Kim and Vladimir Gerasimenko, protocols were drawn up under Part 5 of Art. 20.2 Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (Violation by a participant of a public event of the established procedure for holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession or picketing). Their affairs fell on review by another judge who granted the application for admission counsel, demanded a video recording of the event and called as witnesses all citizens who wrote a statement to the police against the Hare Krishnas. Consideration of the case was scheduled for August 23rd.

On the appointed day Magadan City Court Human Rights Activist Mikhail Came to Protect the Interests of Believers Frolov, who specializes in cases of holding public religious events.

During the course of the case it turned out that statements from disgruntled citizens had nothing to do with reality, have obvious irreducible contradictions, and none of these citizens did not appear in court. Other eyewitnesses were interviewed activities, of which there were many. They convincingly showed what was being done it was a meeting, and not a picket, that the believers did not pester anyone, there is no one sweets were not forced, and they did not even distribute literature. First in the congregation There were two people who were later joined by a third. It also turned out that those presented in the case the photographs were taken at different times, and it is not known who took them. As explained police representative, they could have been downloaded from the Internet.

were also of interest personality of disgruntled citizens. One of them repeatedly tried, the last the verdict took effect three days before the Hare Krishna event, and another earlier was prosecuted for distributing extremist materials.

During the course of the case counsel with references to judicial practice and the Resolution of the Constitutional Court No. 30-P dated December 05, 2012 convincingly substantiated that the procedure for conducting public religious event differs from the procedure for holding a simple political event, which was news to the police.

As a result, court proceedings in the case against believers, he stopped due to the lack of composition offenses in their actions. The defender prepared a complaint against ruling against Nikolai Kryukov.