Belarusian citizens were arrested in St. Petersburg because of the song and phrase “Freedom for Navalny”

The Vasileostrovskiy District Court imposed administrative arrests on citizens of Belarus Yegor Myakinnikov and Yulia Shtanko, who were detained because of a video message to their compatriots. This was reported to OVD-Info by human rights activist Roman Kiselev.

The young people were found guilty under the article on organizing an uncoordinated action (part 2 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Shtanko was arrested for 7 days, Myakinnikov - for 2 days. Myakinnikov was released in the courtroom, as he spent this time in the police department.

The detention of five Belarusians became known on March 23. They were taken to police department No. 30 in the Vasileostrovsky district of St. Petersburg. All of them were issued protocols on the organization of an uncoordinated rally, and on one of them, Vladimir Dragun, on a repeated violation of the rules for participation in rallies (part 8 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).

The telegram channel "Detentions St. Petersburg" suggested that the police could see the reason for the protocols in the video , where a group of people with black and white symbols sing songs, and one of them shouts out the phrase "Freedom to Navalny."

According to the police, 14 people held “public picketing without submitting <…> notification in order to publicly express their opinion and form the opinion of others in support of the protesters in Belarus,” reports the Apology of Protest cited by the protocols drawn up against the activists.

16:26 The court arrested the third participant in the action, Pavel Shtanko, for five days. About it writes "MBH Media".

17:30 Yulia Shtanko was arrested for seven days. about this writes The telegram channel "Detentions St. Petersburg" . The court also arrested Zhanna Galeeva for five days.

22:50 After the trial, Yegor Myakinnikov was detained again , Roman Kiselev told OVD-Info. The detainee was taken to OP No. 30 in St. Petersburg.

Myakinnikov, according to Kiselev, is charged with a violation by a foreigner of the rules of residence in Russia (part 3 of article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). They leave him overnight at the police station, and tomorrow, March 26, they plan to take him to court.

On March 26 , Vladimir Dragun was arrested for nine days in the case of repeated violation of the rules for participation in the action (part 8 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). The decision was made by the Vasileostrovsky Court of St. Petersburg.

Dragoon went on a hunger strike in protest - he declared his innocence and stressed that he was in a different place at the time of the action, writes MBKh Media. The activist will be in the special detention center of the Central Internal Affairs Directorate.

The court refused to expel Yegor Myakinnikov, reports "Apology of Protest" with reference to the lawyer Sergei Loktev. The activist was found guilty under the article on violation by a foreigner of the rules of residence in Russia (part 3 of article 18.8 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) and a fine of five thousand rubles was imposed.

The text of the news has been changed, information has been added about the arrest of Zhanna Galeeva and the fine of Yegor Myakinnikov

• In November 2020, a St. Petersburg court fined Belarusian activists Vladimir Dragun and Ruslan Khazin 10,000 rubles each. The activists were found guilty under the article on holding a public event without filing a notification (part 2 of article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) in connection with the demonstration of a white-red-white flag at St. Isaac's Cathedral.
• In Belarus, after the presidential elections on August 9, 2020, mass protests began: the protesters believe that the election results were rigged in favor of the incumbent head of state Alexander Lukashenko. The actions caused a resonance in Russia as well. The white-red-white flag is used as one of the protest symbols.