A new administrative case was opened against the ex-coordinator of Open Russia in Krasnodar

In Krasnodar, another case was opened against the former coordinator of Open Russia, Yana Antonova, under the article on carrying out the activities of an undesirable organization (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code). Executive Director of Open Russia Andrey Pivovarov reported this on his Telegram channel.

The case against Antonova was initiated by the Krasnodar prosecutor: on December 3, she was summoned to the prosecutor’s office to “consider the issue of initiating” the case. What caused the excitement is still unknown.

At the end of November, the magistrate court fined Antonova 15 thousand rubles under the same article. The case was then opened due to the fact that Antonova “in 2019 published on Facebook 30 information materials of the ‘project of the foreign non-governmental organization Open Russia - MBK media (MBK media)’.”

On October 2, the Leninsky District Court of Krasnodarfound Yana Antonova guilty of carrying out the activities of an organization recognized as undesirable on the territory of Russia (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code). She was sentenced to 240 hours of compulsory labor.

Before the initiation of a criminal case, Antonova was fined three times under the administrative article on “undesirable organization” (Article 20.33 of the Administrative Code): in connection with a coordinated rally against the nomination of Vladimir Putin for a new presidential term, where Antonova unfurled two flags with the symbols of “Open Russia”; in connection with a single picket, which Antonova allegedly used to inform about Open Russia; in connection with the repost of the Open Russia video about the lack of schools in the region.

• A criminal case about an “undesirable organization” against Yana Antonova was opened in April 2019. It became the third in a row under this article. Criminal cases under the same article were opened against member of the federal council of Open Russia Anastasia Shevchenko ( under house arrest), former participant of Open Russia in Yekaterinburg Maxim Vernikov (he was sentenced to 300 hours of compulsory work), former coordinator of the Tyumen branch Anton Mikhalchuk ( put on the wanted list) and the Rector of the Temple of the Flying Spaghetti Monster in Nizhny Novgorod, Mikhail Iosilevich ( charged ). A similar case against journalist Alexander Savelyev was dropped by the investigation due to a note to the article: he voluntarily stopped collaborating with Open Russia.
• In mid-November 2020, searches were carried out in the Krasnodar region in connection with a new criminal case regarding an “undesirable organization” (Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code) filed against Leonid Malyavin.
• In April 2017, the Prosecutor General's Office recognized as undesirable several organizations associated with Mikhail Khodorkovsky, registered in the UK and the USA. The Russian Open Russia movement was not banned. Despite this, administrative cases are regularly opened against its activists for participation in the activities of an undesirable organization. On March 30, 2019, Open Russia announced its self-liquidation for security reasons.