The court arrested Vyacheslav Maltsev in absentia

On October 10, 2017, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow authorized absentee arrest of blogger Vyacheslav Maltsev. On October 11, 2017, Maltsev's defense appealed this decision. On October 31, the Moscow City Court recognized as lawful the decision of the court that issued the arrest warrant in absentia.

On October 10, 2017, the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow authorized arrest in absentia activist blogger and leader of the Artpodgotovka movement Vyacheslav Maltsev. The court chose a measure of restraint in the form detention. " Maltsev was given a term of detention for two months from the date of its transfer to law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation in in the event of his extradition or deportation to the territory of the Russian Federation, or from the moment his actual detention on the territory of the Russian Federation ," the press secretary of the court said.

On October 11, 2017, according to the lawyer of the suspect Sergey Badamshin, the arrest decision was appealed.

Earlier, the Federal Security Service (FSB) of Russia filed a petition with the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow to arrest the blogger in absentia.

In August 2017, Maltsev was charged in absentia under Part 1 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code (public calls for extremist activity). The case was initiated in connection with Maltsev's speech on May 6, 2017 in Moscow on Sakharov Avenue at a rally "For Russia against arbitrariness and repression." Maltsev was very vague about how the peaceful protest at Bolotnaya on 6 May 2012 was doomed because of the state's illegal use of violence against citizens, and that protests in Russia have had a "chance" since then. The speech ended with the words "Long live the revolution! Five-eleven-seventeen!". From our point of view, this speech by Maltsev, which fits into his concept that a new revolution awaits Russia in November 2017, is abstract and should not be considered as a sufficient reason for criminal prosecution for incitement to extremist activity.

On July 4, it became known that blogger Vyacheslav Maltsev left Russia. On September 8, 2017, Vyacheslav Maltsev, on the air of the Artpodgotovka program, announced that he was in Paris. Maltsev asked for political asylum in France.

Sources

• FSB asks court to arrest opposition leader Vyacheslav Maltsev in absentia // General newspaper. 2017. October 9.
• Court authorizes arrest in absentia of activist Maltsev on extremism case // RAPSI. 2017. October 9.
• Defense of Vyacheslav Maltsev accused of extremism appealed against his arrest in absentia // TASS. 2017. October 11.
• Moscow City Court upholds Maltsev's arrest in absentia // RIA News. 2017. October 31.