An Armavir resident was fined under an article on extremist symbols because of “Smart Voting” leaflets

On August 17, the Armavir City Court of the Krasnodar Territory fined activist Sergei Solomakhin two and a half thousand rubles. He was found guilty under the article on the production or sale of materials with extremist symbols (Part 2 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code) because of the “Smart Voting” leaflets. The SOVA information and analytical center drew attention to the court ruling .

The court took into account the results of the examination, which found signs of extremist materials in the leaflets, and also found that “Smart Voting” was an initiative of Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which was recognized as extremist.

Solomakhin admitted guilt. The court ordered the destruction of one thousand copies.

• The Moscow City Court recognized the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), the Foundation for the Defense of Citizens' Rights (FZPG) and the headquarters of Alexei Navalny as extremist organizations on June 9, 2021.
• “Smart Voting” is a project created in 2018. On the official website of the initiative, its mechanism is described as follows: “In each district, Smart Voting selects the most promising competitor to United Russia. Thus, “Smart Voting” helps voters who are unfamiliar with each other to act in solidarity: not to vote discordantly, “spreading” votes among several candidates alternative to United Russia, but to concentrate on supporting one, thereby significantly increasing his chances of winning.”