News digest for August 18

Massive police visits to Navalny’s supporters, a verdict in the “palace case” and forced treatment for comments on social networks. Read the main news for August 18.

• Since the evening of August 17, the police managed to visit the addresses of at least 100 Muscovites, whose data ended up in databases allegedly associated with the websites of Navalny’s projects. The security forces demanded an explanation about the FBK donations and the person’s entry into the database.
• In St. Petersburg, a participant in the action on April 21, Ivan Punegov, was sentenced to a year in a penal colony under the article of violence against a police officer. The interests of the protester were defended by lawyers from OVD-Info Sergei Podolsky and Maria Belyaeva.
• Moscow State University student Said-Mukhamad Dzhumaev, who is accused of fighting with riot police at a rally, was asked to serve six years in prison. In court, the injured security forces stated that they had no claims against him.
• In Rostov-on-Don, the court sent Evgenia Tkach, a defendant in the case of justifying terrorism, for compulsory treatment. She was accused of publishing comments about the explosion at the Arkhangelsk FSB Directorate.
• “Rosderzhava” journalist Alexander Dorogov’s term of detention in a pre-trial detention center was extended . He has been held in custody for a year now.
• In Crimea, in connection with the case of Jehovah's Witnesses, a search was carried out in the apartment of a bedridden patient. After two hours of investigation, the security forces apologized to the residents, saying that they had arrived on a false call.
• Police detained picketers Irina Popova, Sergei Nesterov and Yuri Nazarov in Moscow, who spoke out in support of Navalny and against United Russia. The detainees were assisted by a lawyer from OVD-Info, Ilya Utkin.
• Security forcescame to the former head of Navalny’s headquarters in Makhachkala, Eduard Ataev, after a picket about lawlessness in the city. The activist was threatened with detention.
• In Tyumen, journalist Viktor Egorov was arrested for 10 days. He was charged with calls to participate in a rally of solidarity with the shaman Alexander Gabyshev, who opposes Putin.
• The court dismissed the administrative case against Muscovite Ekaterina Zakrevskaya, who, due to CCTV footage, was accused of participating in the April 21 rally. She was defended by OVD-Info lawyer Artem Nemov.