Irkutsk: Coordinator of Navalny’s headquarters was arrested for seven days

The Sverdlovsk District Court of Irkutsk today found guilty of the coordinator of the headquarters of Navalny Sergey Bespalov in violation of the rules for organizing a public event and arrested it for seven days.

A protocol was drawn up on Bespalov after a meeting of the opposition Alexei Navalny with the inhabitants of Irkutsk, which took place on November 4. The city authorities position this event as an unauthorized rally. Bespalov himself calls him a meeting in a private territory. The activist told the court that in the case file, in his opinion, there is not a single evidence confirming that he is the organizer of this event.

The court interrogated ten witnesses. Among them were three students, whom their teacher in political science Vladimir Bukhantsov asked for testimony. Police officers invited Bukhantsov as an expert. But Sergey Bespalov announced his discharge, explaining this by the fact that there is hostile relations between them, which means that this person cannot be questioned. The judge refused the police in the interrogation of Bukhantsov, since he was not at a meeting with Navalny and, on the merits of the case under consideration, cannot testify.

"We have many volunteers expressed doubts that I am sent. Because we have volunteers who were delayed three to five times, and they really really doubted that I was an employee of the headquarters, and not an FSB officer. Now they would not doubt it," Siberia. Reals said Sergey Bespalov immediately after the court announced the decision.

From the hall of the Bespalov court, they took a temporary detention center. He and his defenders said that they would appeal the court decision.