Translated material
Kalmyk activist Altan Ochirov's sentence was tightened in the case of anti-war posts
The Supreme Court of Kalmykia increased the sentence from three to five years in prison for civil activist and ex-employee of the Elista mayor's office Altan Ochirov in the case of publications about the war in Ukraine. This is what the human rights project “Network Freedoms” is about.
reports In October, the Elista City Court of Ochirov was found guilty under the article on the dissemination of knowingly false information about the Russian Army by a group of persons and for reasons of hatred or enmity (clauses “b” and “d”, part 2 of article 207.3 of the Criminal Code). The court then considered it possible to give him a sentence below the lower limit, sentencing the activist to three years in prison.
admitted The prosecutor's office filed an appeal against this decision, and the Supreme Court upheld the prosecution's protest, excluding from the verdict the possibility of imposing a sentence below the lower limit. As a result, Ochirov was sentenced to five years in prison with an additional ban on holding state and municipal positions for a period of three years.
Ochirov was charged with distributing a video on the Volny Ulus telegram channel about the shooting of a car with pensioners by the Russian military, as well as reports about the sinking of a landing ship, looting and the number of losses from Russia in the first days of the invasion of Ukraine.
Ochirov himself denies that he was involved in all of the listed publications. He refused to admit guilt. The man has been in custody since April.
Kalmyk activist Erentsen Dolyaev, who was also charged with the article about “fake news” about the Russian army due to publications in “Volny Ulus”, claims that Ochirov stopped using the channel several months before his arrest. Previously, it was also said that “unidentified persons” were involved in the case. According to Network Freedoms, the investigation became interested in active participants, among whom was Dolyaev.
persecuted reported by the Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People - 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 380 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 to the Criminal Code in March 2022 - this is how the authorities responded to anti-war protests 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.