In Astrakhan, a pensioner went on a hunger strike after his arrest

In Astrakhan, activist Sergei Shcherbakov went on a hunger strike to protest his arrest. The Caucasian Knot reports this.

On the evening of November 2, the pensioner went on a hunger strike. That day he was arrested for five days for a poster with the symbols of “Smart Voting”. The activist was found guilty under the article on public display of symbols of extremist organizations (Part 1 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code). The next day, the regional court upheld the punishment.

“I demand that my arrest be cancelled, because this decision is unjust. Nowhere, in any documents, is it written that “Smart Voting” is extremist symbolism. They only assume that this is supposedly an FBK project. I say: “Show me the documents where this would be said,” said the activist.

• On November 2, the second trial of Shcherbakov took place. He was charged with a similar violation of the law. It is not clear what action we are talking about, but the court file lists four proceedings under the same article. Two of them (under Part 2 of Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code) have now been returned to the police.
• During the second hearing, the activist became ill and was taken by ambulance from the courtroom. However, the hospital found no reason to hospitalize Shcherbakov. The doctors refused to hand over the documents to the patient and handed them over to the police. The activist was taken to a special detention center.
• 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. In July, Roskomnadzor blocked almost 50 websites associated with Alexei Navalny. In September, Roskomnadzor blocked the website of Smart Voting, an FBK initiative related to recommendations on the expression of will.