News digest for August 10

A commuted sentence for a former “Postcard” participant, a new criminal case against Navalny’s associates, and the arrest of a Muscovite who staged a protest on a tree. Read the main news for August 10.

• The court reduced the sentence of ex- Open Russia member Anastasia Shevchenko from four to three years of suspended imprisonment. Previously, she was found guilty under the article on participation in the activities of an “undesirable” organization.
• A new criminal case was opened against Navalny’s associates Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov - under the article on financing extremist activities. The reason was a video about raising funds in support of Navalny’s team.
• Eldar Garipov, a participant in the rally on January 31 in St. Petersburg, had his term of detention in a pre-trial detention center extended until September 3. When he was detained at the rally, he was beaten by security forces, and after complaining to the police about them, the protester was charged with a criminal offense. His interests are protected by OVD-Info lawyer Igor Skachko.
• FBK and the Foundation for the Protection of Citizens' Rights, created by Alexei Navalny, appeared on the list of extremist organizations maintained by Rosfinmonitoring. The day before, the court rejected the complaint about recognizing the oppositionist’s projects as extremist.
• In Nalchik, the court ordered the investigation to conduct an investigation into the beating of local activist Aslan Iritov during his arrest in 2017 before a rally. The security forces stated that it was the man who attacked them: allegedly Iritov, who has no hands, was strangling one of them.
• In Kirov, the police asked the court to reduce the size of the claim filed against civil activists Vadim Ananyin and Mikhail Semenov in the wake of the action on January 23. Previously, the Ministry of Internal Affairs demanded compensation for the work of security forces in those areas where the rally did not take place.
• The sentence of Jehovah's Witness from Crimea, Viktor Stashevsky, was confirmed : the man was sentenced to six and a half years in prison under the article on organizing the activities of an extremist organization. His co-religionist from the Rostov region, Vladimir Popov, who is sick with coronavirus, had his detention in a pre-trial detention center extended . And in Khabarovsk, believer Sergei Kazakov’s house arrest was replaced with a ban on certain actions.
• A court in Moscow arrested for six days Muscovite Olga Kuzmina, who tied herself to a tree at a 20-meter height in protest against renovation. The girl was defended by lawyer Tatyana Solomina, who collaborates with OVD-Info. In the evening, Kuzmina’s house was searched in her absence; security forces seized equipment and electronic media.
• National Bolshevik Mikhail Galyashkin was detained at the exit from a special detention center, where he was serving 10 days of arrest for an action near the Ministry of Justice building in Moscow. His interests are represented by lawyer from OVD-Info Sergei Telnov.
• The Court of Cassation sent for a new trial the case of Lyudmila Krigel, a participant in the action on January 31 in Stavropol. OVD-Info provided her with legal assistance.