Activist Igor Stenin received political asylum in Lithuania

Lithuania issued a decision for long-term residence in the EU to activist Igor Stenin, who in Russia was sentenced to two years in prison due to a repost on VKontakte. Caucasian Knot reports this.

Earlier, Stenin left Russia with his wife and son, fearing pressure on his loved ones from law enforcement officers.

On May 16, 2016, the Soviet court of Astrakhan sentenced the activist to two years in prison in a colony settlement for public calls for extremist activities (Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code). The reason for the case was the repost on VKontakte of an article on the topic of the war in Ukraine. According to the defense, Stenin was convicted for another user’s comment under his post. The activist did not admit his guilt.

On December 21, 2017, the Astrakhan Regional Court upheld the verdict against Stenin. In May, the case was dismissed due to the lack of corpus delicti; however, the Prosecutor General's Office filed a complaint against this decision, and the case was returned for review to the regional court.

• The interview with Igor Stenin, which he gave to OVD-Info after his release, can be read here.