"Wound, exacerbated, embellished, denigrated"

Anna Pavlikova’s lawyer - about the verdict of the defendant of the “New Greatness” case, who pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence

In the case of the creation of the extremist community "New Greatness", the first sentence was sentenced. One of the defendants in the case-a 28-year-old engineer in the Central Research Institute of Special Engineering in Khotkovo Rustam Rustamov- received a year and a half conditionally for aiding participation in the extremist community. Rustamov’s case was allocated in a separate production, since the defendant - the only one of all - concluded a pre -trial agreement and pleaded guilty. The lawyer of the other person involved in the case of Anna Pavlikova, Olga Karlova, told Medusa why Rustamov received a suspended sentence.

Olga Karlova

Anna Palikova's lawyer

The news that Rustam Rustamov was sentenced to a sentence for us - lawyers of other defendants in the case of the “new greatness” - a great surprise. None of us even knew that Rustamov’s case was allocated in a separate production. He quickly - in just one day - condemned and sentenced.

Apparently, this was needed so that Rustamov - God forbid - did not back down. Now his sentence will enter into legal force, and it can be based on it during the process over the rest of the defendants.

The fact that he made a deal with the investigation became clear in September, when he testified. The judge then also suggested that he change the measure of restraint from house arrest for a recognizance not to leave. This was said with both lawyers and the rest of the defendants. And he asked to leave him under house arrest, apparently did not want to show that he had made a deal, although it was obvious.

Like the rest of the lawyers, I read the protocol of his interrogation, but I would not want to voice his testimony now - this can harm the guys. Rustamov wound, exacerbated, embellished, denigrated, told what was not at all - much of his testimony does not correspond to reality. But otherwise, who would give him a conditional term.

I know very little about him: they were friends with Ruslan Kostylenkov for many years (the investigation considers him the leader of the “new greatness” - approx. “Medusa” ). Rustamov owned legally registered weapons and let the guys shoot him for money - that is, he was also welded on this.

At the very beginning, he was accused of creating the extremist community “New Greatness”, even though the main witness in the case [the FSB informant under the guise and the actual creator of the organization] Ruslan D. refuted this information in court. The charges were later replaced by aiding participation in the extremist community.

But in fact, there was no complication. He was supposed to be fined for the transfer of weapons to persons who do not have the right to do so - and this was supposed to end. If his lawyer immediately built his line of defense against accusations of complication, then Rustamov would not have been brought to the giving these false testimonies, and would not be convicted under this article. Unfortunately, neither we nor human rights activists managed to break through to his defender, he immediately built a wall between us.

Rustama Rustamov’s lawyer Sergei Gack told Medusa by phone that neither he nor his client will comment on the sentence.

Recorded Sasha Sulim