In Buryatia, a court fined a participant in a single picket in memory of politician Boris Nemtsov

The Sovetsky District Court of Ulan-Ude fined Natalia Filonova, a participant in a solitary picket dedicated to the memory of politician Boris Nemtsov, 20,000 rubles. This was reported on the YouTube channel "Republic of Buryatia".

The court found Filonova guilty under the article on organizing mass picketing without filing a notification (part 2 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Not far from Filonova, a man also held a solo picket in memory of Nemtsov.

Filonova was detained on March 11 during a solitary picket “We don’t need to change the constitution, we need to change the government.” After the arrest, she was taken to court, where they explained that they would consider the case because of the action on February 29.

At the meeting, the policeman referred to the position of the Supreme Court, according to which several single pickets, united by themes and a common organization, can be recognized as one event. In addition, the police said that people approached Filonova, talked to her, stood nearby, and therefore participated in the event.

“Just as a theatrical performance cannot be held without an auditorium — we are well aware that the stage must be separated from the auditorium — in the same way, here we need to separate the only participant in a solo picket, Filonova, from the auditorium as a small group people who approached, got acquainted, talked, ”Nizovkina explained at the meeting.

The defense stated that the second picketer came on his own. Despite the fact that he also participated in a solo picket in memory of Nemtsov, Filonova did not organize his action.

According to the police, Filonova organized the action through the YouTube channel: on February 28, during a live broadcast from the studio, she called for participation in the All-Russian action in memory of Nemtsov. In addition, according to the police officer, she “showed her poster through the YouTube channel to an unlimited number of people”.

Representatives of the prosecution appeal to what Filonova urged: "Come, we'll talk, we'll talk, we'll discuss." From the fact that she called for something to discuss, it does not follow that she called for any public event at all.

- said the defender Filonova.

During the action on February 29, the policemen made a video recording and presented it in court as evidence. However, according to Nadezhda Nizovkina, Filonova's lawyer, law enforcement officers cut off the fragments that proved Filonova's innocence.

In particular, according to Nizovkina, the police cut off a fragment of the recording, in which the law enforcement officers themselves say that Filonova was simply holding a one-man picket.

• throughout Russia On February 29, rallies were held in memory of politician Boris Nemtsov, who was killed on February 27, 2015. On the day of the protests, the police detained 13 people: eight at an agreed procession, four during solo pickets, and one more at an agreed meeting.