The activist from Sochi was starving for a month due to the fact that the mental prayer was mistaken for an unauthorized rally. The penalty is never canceled

Sochi public activist Ruslan Gvashev held a hunger strike for almost a month, protesting against the unjust, in his opinion, court decision. On June 2, the district court appointed him a fine of 10 thousand rubles for participating in the traditional memorial prayer for the victims of the Caucasian war of the 19th century. Earlier, the event did not require approvals, but in 2017 the court found Gvashev guilty of participating in an unauthorized rally. After a second consideration of the case, which was the punishment in force, Gvashev announced a hunger strike on September 11 and stopped it only on October 6 - the activist’s lawyer explained that the trial could be delayed, including to exclude Gvashev's participation. "Medusa" tells about the trial of the Adyghe activist.

Ruslan Gvashev was sentenced to a fine for participating in a memorial prayer on June 2. The history of the 67-year-old activist was described in detail by the reporters of Kommersant, Alexander Chernykh and Anna Petrova. On May 21, the inhabitants of the Krasnodar Territory, who consider themselves to be chapsugs, are traditionally gathering in a 250-year-old tulip tree in the village of Golovinka in the city of Sochi for a memorial prayer for the victims of the Caucasian War . In 2017, several dozen people gathered in Golovinka, a prayer was read by a public activist Ruslan Gvashev. As Kommersant notes, the event took no more than 15 minutes. It was attended by a district police officer, who the next day called Gvashev along with the local resident Aydamir Basto to give an explanation. Ten days later, administrative protocols were drawn up for men, on June 2, the Lazarevsky District Court of Sochi found Basto guilty of organizing an unauthorized rally and fined 30 thousand rubles, Gvashev - guilty of participating in an unauthorized rally (part 5 of Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and fined 10 thousand.

Ruslan Gvashev took part in the creation of the First Constitution of Adygea, he fights for the recognition of the Circassians by the indigenous people, as well as to introduce them in this capacity in the charter of the Krasnodar Territory. Gvashev has disability: earlier his leg was amputated.

Two months later, the regional court abolished the fine, but upon repeated consideration it was issued again. Before the meeting on the appeal in the Krasnodar Regional Court on July 19, Gvashev had a heart attack - he was hospitalized in the hospital, they were playing. Gvasheva’s lawyer Marina Dubrovina told the publication “Caucasian Knot” that he “worried” because of the meeting. On August 2, the regional court abolished the fine “due to multiple violations”, returning the case for a review (he left the fine of Aydamir Basto in force on June 23). Nevertheless, on August 30, the Lazarevsky District Court again decided that Gvashev needed to pay 10 thousand rubles. At this meeting, he was defended by the lawyer for their intended purpose, as Marina Dubrovina left for a vacation, but the court warned in advance; They did not consider it necessary to transfer the meeting. Dubrovina again appealed the decision of the Lazarevsky court.

On September 11, Gvashev declared a hunger strike, protesting against the court decision. “I made a decision on a hunger strike when it turned out that the deputy head of the district had provided his explanation to the Lazarevsky District Court, where he called a prayer service“ rally ”. At the same time, the minutes of the court session did not reflect the testimony of the district police officer, which was drawn up by the protocol. In court, he stated that there was no offense. He said that he was ordered to punish me by the chief and curator from the FSB, ”Gvashev said . Already on September 12, he announced a deterioration in health, but noted that he intends to continue the hunger strike. “They rot me, and you won’t prove anything to the courts, so I want to prove the right of the Circassians for memory, to prayers by the holy tree with my death,” the activist said .

Gvashev tried to no avail to dissuade public activists and senator from Kabardino-Balkaria from a hunger strike. On September 20, representatives of the Abkhaz public (Abkhazians and Adygs are traditionally close, their languages ​​are included in the same language family ) visited Gvashev. “He doesn’t look like that. Its speech apparatus does not work well. Sometimes it is very difficult to understand. Before our arrival, he felt very bad and could not stand, but when he saw us, he felt better. He survived with us for about three hours, but after the conversation he was defeated by weakness, ” said David Dasania, head of the international project“ Caucasus - our common cause ”. Then Gvasheva was visited by the former head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Senator Arsen Kanokov. He asked Gvashev to stop the hunger strike and resolve the issue in the legal field; He refused.

Kanokov also defended Gvashev. “I want to turn to the leadership and judicial authorities of the Lazarevsky district, Sochi and the Krasnodar Territory. Of course, all decisions on this issue should be made in the legal field. However, the law, the legislation in no way cancel the moral and ethical norms, the norms of humanity and, if you want, common sense. What is the point of showing disrespect for the 67-year-old disabled person, a citizen of Russia, delivering him to the patient forcibly to the court? ”

On October 5, an appeal meeting in the Gvashev case was to be held, but the meeting was postponed. According to the Caucasian Knot, more than 200 people gathered near the building of the Krasnodar Regional Court. They came to support Gvashev because "his rights are violated." “I personally do not know him, but he is the elder of the chapsugs, to whom I reckon myself. For us, he is like a guiding star, ”the emergence of the word of one of the participants in the action quoted. The car in which Gvashev was taken from Sochi to Krasnodar at 10 a.m. on October 5 was detained by traffic police officers on the exit from the city. The activist said that several people in civilian clothes were strongly recommended to transfer to their car and go to the nearest medical institution. After three hours, the car was missed, but at the post in Tuapse they again detained, letting Gvashev only about 18 hours. On the same day, the court unexpectedly postponed the meeting in the Gvashev case on October 16. “In court, no one gives any intelligible explanations why the meeting was postponed without notice,” said lawyer Marina Dubrovina.

In the evening on the same day, Gvashev stopped a hunger strike. One of the participants in the rally wrote about this, explaining that the termination of the hunger strike, in particular, was demanded by the supporters of Gvashev at the spontaneous action on October 5. Information "Medusa" was confirmed by Gvasheva lawyer Marina Dubrovina. “I told him, you understand that the court hearing will be transferred [and further], wait until you get worse and worse. And then, as usual with us, “there is no person - there is no problem”. I believe that [the cessation of the hunger strike] is a very wise solution, because it is quite difficult to fight one. When we perform together, he conveys the historical and emotional part, and I am legal, and so our position looks more powerful, ”said Dubrovina. She noted that on October 5, Gvashev was very exhausted. Now he is under the supervision of doctors and "gradually leaves the hunger strike." The lawyer did not give forecasts for a meeting on October 16, but noted that "he hopes for common sense." In the Krasnodar Regional Court, Medusa did not respond to the call.

Evgeny Berg