Two intersecting ellipses: the host of Channel One was fined according to an extremist article

Evgeny Kolesov is the host of Channel One, his organization “Power of Law” is engaged in business investigations. On June 30, the court fined Kolesov for a thousand rubles, and the “power of the law” - 10 thousand under the article on the demonstration of extremist symbols (part 1 of article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The “power of the law” used a symbol similar to the logo of the forbidden “northern brotherhood”. Kolesov disputes this decision. OVD-Info recorded his story.

One of the lawyers of the people who works our organization wrote to me [statement]. We unwind a large ball: we have four companies in the field of view, which, in our opinion, have signs of fraudulent schemes. We found many victims, prepared documents for submitting to law enforcement agencies.

Apparently, our opponents caught us, noting that this “Square Svaroga” was on our website. As soon as they turned from the prosecutor's office, I did not tighten, did not try, sorry for such a verb, to jump off. I decided to understand this position: I went to the prosecutor's office.

I did not like the behavior of the prosecutor's office, they did not even particularly understand this. On the other side, an examination was attached, which does not withstand any criticism. The prosecutor’s office, having not checked anything, used the conclusion of a person who is, sorry me, a linguist as a base for accusing. Signs are heraldry, but for some reason the linguist makes the conclusion that it was this sign-“Square Svarog”. And it has allegedly two intersecting ellipses. Moreover, a link to the clip on Uyutub was indicated. This link did not open! As far as I understand, [the prosecutor’s office] did not even check the link.

I suggested that the prosecutor limit ourselves to a warning: all the more, we removed from the site [Square Svarog] and stopped using. Moreover, there are changes in the Code of Administrative Offenses that if there is no propaganda of extremism, the demonstration of the sign is legitimate. My opinion is that in the Ostankino inter -district prosecutor’s office they wanted to give an occasion to the applicants to talk about us that we are extremists.

I was personally at the trial: this situation is deeply worried about me. The amount of the fine is not fundamental to me, the legal position itself is fundamental.

In court there was an indictment immediately. The court decision shows the very link to which the prosecutor’s office referred and which does not open! [On the yutyub] is simply written "Video is not available." Not removed, not blocked. I don’t know what is there - what if there was not a sign of Svarog, but, for example, pornography? No one figured out this. How absurd it is!

At the trial, I showed photographs of monuments on which the “Square of Svaroga” is used: at the Dmitrievsky Cathedral [in Vladimir], on the monument to Ilya Muromets in Murom, excuse, on the main monument of Russian writing and literature, I mean the monument to Cyril and Methodius on China-Gorod [in Moscow]. Every year, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' holds a procession there and a prayer process. There are photos with [Patriarchs] Cyril, Alexy [second]. It turns out that it is necessary to fine all the media that [these processions] illuminate?

At the trial, we made three petitions that were rejected one after another. I said that I was ready to pay [the examination] so that the court has an objective basis for making a decision.

We have prepared an appeal, we will submit it on Monday. Those villains who took advantage of the situation began to shout that I am an extremist, that the “power of the law” is extremist. But there is not a single word in the court’s decision that we are recognized as extremists.

Of course, we slipped on this moment, but we did not know that this sign is extremist. In our country, there is no single list of signs recognized as extremist. I, excuse me, do not keep in my head all the signs and organizations that can be extremist. For the first time I heard about the "Northern Brotherhood"-prohibited by the Moscow City Court in 2012-which was used by this Slavic symbol-re-ruler.

We will turn to all organs: how can you use on monuments and show an extremist sign on all channels? We wrote to the president, the Ministry of Culture, Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, to the Moscow City Hall, in the Russian Orthodox Church. We were recommended to contact [the Department] of the Cultural Heritage [City Hall] of Moscow: there people are also surprised there. From the department they wrote to the sons of [Vyacheslav] Klykov - a sculptor who created a monument [Cyril and Methodius]. We prepared a letter to the State Duma.

We need a result, you need to change legislative practice. We want our Old Slavonic amulet to be carried out from under this word-“extremism”.