The prosecutor asked for 9 years in prison for politician Ilya Yashin in the case of “fakes” about the Russian army

The prosecutor requested nine years in a general regime colony for politician Ilya Yashin in the case of “fakes” about the Russian army. Mediazona reports this.

The prosecution also asked that Yashin be banned from using the Internet for another four years after serving his sentence.

The hearing took place in the Meshchansky District Court of Moscow. After the hearings began, the courthouse was evacuated, and the hearing was continued after some time.

The oppositionist is accused of spreading “fakes” about the Russian army based on political hatred (clause “e”, part 2, article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). A case was opened against the politician in July because of a stream on his YouTube channel in which he spoke about the tragedy in Bucha.

Yashin was detained on June 27, while walking in the park. The next day he was arrested for 15 days under the article on disobedience to the police (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code). While the man was in a special detention center, a criminal case was opened against him and subsequently sent to a pre-trial detention center. In July, the Ministry of Justice added the politician to the register of “foreign agents.”

• Ilya Yashin is a former municipal deputy of the Krasnoselsky district of Moscow. He served as head of the municipality from 2017 to 2021. The oppositionist left his post early in order, as he himself explained, to “get the council of deputies out of harm’s way,” which was under pressure.
• Since February 24—the first day of the “special operation” in Ukraine—residents of Russian cities have been going out to anti-war rallies every day and talking about the tragedy online. Anti-war speeches and statements become grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 360 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protest against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our guide .
• Article 207.3 was included in the Criminal Code in March 2022 - in this way the authorities responded to anti-war speeches and statements, as well as the dissemination of information about the war that did not come from official Russian sources. The maximum penalty under this article is 15 years in prison.