Arrest and fine. Those walking home from the bar on the night of February 2-3 were mistaken for protesters

A group of guys meets every week at the Na Cranes bar on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. This is their tradition. They discuss the past week, share their impressions, and relax. On February 3, the rest ended at 00:10. The guys left the establishment and headed to the metro, where they were detained at the entrance to the Trubnaya station. All were charged with participating in an action that resulted in obstruction of the movement of pedestrians and public transport. Part 6.1 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code, punishment from a fine to 15 days of arrest.

Four of the detainees did not appear at the court hearing, where they were fined 15 thousand rubles. The two detainees, very confident both in their innocence and in their right to meet every week in a bar, came to court. During the hearing, their own video footage of the walk from the cafe to the metro station, photographs from the bar’s video cameras, and receipts confirming payment for the order before leaving the catering establishment were added to the case. A printout from the Yandex map confirming that it takes 15 minutes to walk at a calm pace from “On the Cranes” to “Trubnaya” - and, accordingly, the impossibility of participating in protests.

All this was added to the case file, the video was viewed by the judge and commented on by the detainees. At the meeting, a witness was heard who confirmed the tradition of friendly gatherings on Tsvetnoy Boulevard and the slow, peaceful “procession” home [on the night of February 2-3].

Having looked, listened and thought, the judge made decisions in which she found the guys guilty and imposed an administrative penalty in the form of arrest for 15 days, the maximum possible under this article.

The judge's decision is heard while standing. The first detainee, who received a day, sat down on a bench and exhaled: “Yes, I drank beer.” While the judge was considering the case of one of the detainees, the second was waiting for his hearing in the corridor. I wrote to him that he could still leave the court; the police and bailiffs at the exit had no reason to detain him yet. He thought for half a minute and answered: “I’ll stay, I won’t run away anywhere, because I’m right.” As a result, he was sentenced to 15 days of arrest.

There were police officers, a lieutenant and a sergeant in court. They weren't supposed to show emotion, but it was clear that they were surprised. It was wild for me. After the hearing, I asked the judge why this was so. She shrugged and said she couldn't comment on the decision.