The court in Essentuki fined a picketer who advocated the release of Navalny

The Essentuki City Court fined picketer Ivan Zevakin, who demanded freedom for Navalny, five thousand rubles. Zevakin himself reported this to OVD-Info.

Police detained the activist on October 11 in Essentuki during a single picket with a poster “Navalny is not an extremist! #FreedomNavalny.” A report was drawn up against Zevakin under an article on violating the rules of participation in a public event (Part 5 of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code).

The picketer was taken to the police department by force; he was subsequently diagnosed with a concussion. In addition, in the case file, law enforcement officers wrote that Zevakin was picketing near the courthouse, and this is prohibited by federal law. At the same time, the man himself says that he held the action in another place.

• Alexei Navalny was taken into custody in early February, after returning to Russia - the court replaced his suspended sentence with a real one in the Yves Rocher case. According to the court decision, he will spend two and a half years in prison. The politicianwas transferred to correctional colony No. 2 in the Vladimir region.