The criminal case of Mikhail Alferov was transferred to court

The Investigative Committee announced the transfer to the court of the criminal case of the Kemerovo activist Mikhail Alferov. He is charged under Part 3 of Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code (from our point of view, unlawfully) and under Art. 319 of the Criminal Code.

On April 22, 2021, the investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Kemerovo Region announced that the case of a 35-year-old local resident accused under Part 3 of Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code (dissemination of information expressing obvious disrespect for society about the days of military glory and memorable dates of Russia related to the defense of the Fatherland, as well as desecration of the symbols of military glory of Russia, committed publicly) and Art. 319 of the Criminal Code (insulting a representative of authority). We are talking about the oppositionist Mikhail Alferov.

Case under Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code against Alferov was initiated in July 2020. The reason was the video "#9 #May #Victory Day #Kemerovo #Kuzbass #2020", which Alferov published on YouTube on May 9, 2020. In the video, he, walking around the city, criticized the large-scale decoration of the city with flags and posters for Victory Day, contrasting with the unsatisfactory condition of residential buildings, and expressed dissatisfaction with the use of the St. George ribbon, including demanding that the police take it off their uniforms. He also stated that the copies of the Banner of Victory hung on the houses are " victorious rags ". In addition, in the video, Alferov wondered whether it was correct to celebrate Victory Day on May 9, and not on May 8, when the act of capitulation of Nazi Germany was signed, and not in early September, when World War II ended.

According to investigators, the video contained information expressing a clear disrespect for " commemorative dates of our country associated with the tragic events of World War II " (that is, Victory Day), as well as actions that desecrate the symbols of Russia's military glory. This conclusion was made based on the results of historical-psychological-linguistic examination.

In addition, in two other videos, he insulted a police officer, the investigation believes. The defendant did not cooperate with the investigation and pleaded not guilty.

We consider the persecution of Alferov under Art. 354.1 of the Criminal Code unlawful. By publishing his video, in our opinion, he did not pursue the goal of rehabilitating Nazism. We did not find statements disrespectful of Victory Day as such in his video. Statements about certain symbols, even if they are regarded as offensive, from our point of view, should not be equated with the desecration of the symbol itself. We also note that the concept of "symbols of military glory" is not disclosed in Russian legislation.

Sources

• In the Kemerovo region, a resident of the regional center, accused of rehabilitating Nazism and insulting a government official, will appear before the court // SU SK for the Kemerovo region. 2021. April 22.