The co-founder of OVD-Info was fined due to the lack of “foreign agent” markings in Odnoklassniki

The Khamovnichesky District Court of Moscow fined OVD-Info co-founder Grigory Okhotin 30 thousand rubles. This was reported by a lawyer from OVD-Info, representing his interests in court.

Okhotin was found guilty under the article on the absence of “foreign agent” markings (Part 4 of Article 19.34 of the Administrative Code) in OVD-Info posts on Odnoklassniki. On June 25, Roskomnadzor, at the request of the Ministry of Justice, created the project page on this social network.

blocked The fact that administrative cases were opened against Okhotin and another co-founder of the project, Daniil Beilinson, in June. The protocol against Beilinson was received by the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow on May 31, the hearing is scheduled for July 12.

it became known in September 2021, the Ministry of Justice OVD-Info was added to the “register of unregistered public associations performing the functions of a foreign agent.” The project filed a lawsuit for exclusion from the register, in November 2021, the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow filed a lawsuit.

included refused In March 2022, the Moscow City Court, in September - the Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction, this decision was unchanged. In February 2023, the Supreme Court will consider OVD-Info’s complaint against recognition as a “foreign agent.”

left refused - Since May of this year, the Ministry of Justice has been actively drawing up protocols on the article on the absence of “foreign agency” markings. At least 15 public figures were fined under them, including journalists, musicians and writers. OVD-Info collects information about this. here - Two offenses under Article 19.34 of the Code of Administrative Offenses, which have entered into force, become grounds for criminal prosecution: security forces can open a case of “malicious evasion of the duties of a “foreign agent”” (Article 330.1 of the Criminal Code), the maximum penalty is five years in prison. This article was included in the Criminal Code recently - at the end of December 2022, after Vladimir Putin passed the relevant law. signed - OVD-Info launched the project. We explore the practice of applying laws on “foreign agents”, talk about their impact on civil society and specific people, initiate discussions with experts and suggest ways of possible changes. In December 2021, together with the Center for the Protection of Media Rights, we began to provide legal support to people and organizations that were included in the registers of “foreign agents.” "Inoteka"