A case was opened against a 74-year-old pensioner under arrest for a rally in support of Ivan Golunov on June 12

In Moscow, police opened an administrative case against Turana Varzhabetyan, a participant in the June 12 rally in support of journalist Ivan Golunov. Varzhabetyan herself reported this.

The 74-year-old OVD-InfoDelo was charged with repeated violation of the rules of participation in a public event (Part 8 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code). The police called the pensioner on November 18 to the Golovinsky police station to draw up a report. Varzhabetyan cannot go to the department because she recently had surgery on her knee.

The police have already drawn up a report against Varzhabetyan in connection with her during the action on June 12. Then the woman was charged with participating in an uncoordinated action that interfered with the movement of vehicles and pedestrians (Part 6.1 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code).

detention Judge Olga Drozdova of the Golovinsky District Court on July 1 refused to accept the case materials for the investigation of numerous gross violations and returned it to the police department for correction. In the ruling on the return of the case materials, which is on the website of the Moscow City Court, the judge listed the violations committed by the police.

because of the published Law enforcement officers wrote that Varzhabetyan violated the requirements of the Federal Law “On meetings, rallies, demonstrations, processions and pickets.” However, they did not indicate which articles of the law, in their opinion, the pensioner had violated.

In addition, the security forces did not explain to the detainee her rights when drawing up the report and did not establish the place where the pensioner allegedly committed the offense. The police also did not provide information about witnesses in the case.

Now law enforcement officers are planning to draw up a new report against Varzhabetyan, under a different article, providing for a more severe punishment. The sanction under Part 8 of Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for a fine of 150 to 300 thousand rubles or administrative arrest for up to 30 days.

Varzhabetyan regularly participates in protests, which is why she has been detained several times. At one of the protests, an employee of the Russian Guard said to Varzhabetyan: “If you appear in the center again, don’t be offended.” During her solo picket on March 26, 2017, Varzhabetyan was hit in the chest, after which she was diagnosed with cancer.

because of the fine they were detained - on August 1, activist Turane Varzhabetyan, who was then in the hospital with health problems after the action on July 27, was contacted on her mobile phone and persuaded not to go to rallies anymore. The district police officer asked the pensioner to come to him and sign for a preventive conversation. because the local police officer called - During the rally for fair elections on July 27, the police injured Varzhabetyan’s hand, for which the woman was later hospitalized in the hospital. detention due to - In February 2019, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Varzhabetyan’s complaint about beating by police during the crackdown on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow. communicated at the rally on May 6, 2012 On May 6, 2012, Varzhabetyan saw that several riot police officers were beating two young people, and screamed for them to stop. The pensioner saw a police officer next to her who swung a baton at her, after which she felt a blow to the head and lost consciousness. Doctors later diagnosed Varzhabetyan with a concussion.

When the pensioner tried to file a complaint with the Investigative Committee, the investigators dissuaded her: supposedly there was no point in filing a complaint, because there was an unspoken order not to consider applications regarding the events of May 6.