Translated material
130 Russians convicted in 2020 for public statements
In 2020, Russian courts handed down 112 verdicts against 130 people, the only reason for criminal prosecution of whom was their words, according to the annual report of the SOVA information and analytical center, “Illegal application of anti-extremist legislation in Russia,” published today.
In addition, human rights activists are aware of 55 sentences against 122 people convicted in 2020 for involvement in banned organizations (mostly religious).
Having analyzed the practice of Russian courts, the SOVA center found 54 verdicts against 99 people who were accused under “extremist” and “terrorist” articles of the Criminal Code to be unfounded. This is more than a year earlier: in 2019, SOVA recognized 31 verdicts against 97 people as unlawful.
The information and analytical center emphasizes that it does not consider any sentences on “extremist” charges to be deliberately unjust; The report specifically notes cases where its authors find criminal prosecution for speech legitimate—for example, if it is intended to “suppress xenophobic manifestations.”