The court needs a diagnosis

Petersburzhenka Victoria Petrov, accused of "fakes" about the Russian army, the judicial psychiatrists recognized as incompetent

The 29-year-old girl shocked by the conclusions of psychiatrists and her defense intends to dispute the expert opinion. Meanwhile, the trial of Vika on September 13 will continue with the participation of the guardian appointed to her.

For the first time about a psychiatric examination, which is supposedly required by Victoria, a question in court came back in March. Then, as the “new” said, the state prosecution was presented by a “medical document” (as his assistant to the district prosecutor called it). Judge of the Kalininsky District Court Gennady Pilekhin, having studied the “Document”, said that it was “just a sheet of A4 format”, but nevertheless introduced it to the case file. After that, on the basis of this paper, the prosecution asked Petrov to a psychiatric examination and close the trial for the students and the press.

In April, Victoria conducted an outpatient examination. But according to its results, experts could not make a conclusion and in May appointed an inpatient examination to the accused. Then the lawyer Petrova Anastasia Pilipenko submitted medical certificates to the court, confirming the absolute mental health of Victoria.

COMMENT

Lawyer Anastasia Pilipenko:

- We believed that with these documents it would be possible to re -conduct an outpatient psychiatric examination, without the placement of Vika into the hospital. But the prosecutor requested a stationary psychiatric examination, and the court satisfied this petition.

In a psychiatric hospital, Victoria spent more than a month. Neither the accused nor the defense was expected from the initially good. However, the results surpassed the worst expectations.

COMMENT

Lawyer Anastasia Pilipenko:

- We received an expert opinion that says that Vika cannot now exercise its procedural rights in court. In this case, the judge, guided by Article 437 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation, must appoint a legal representative from among close relatives or from the guardianship authority. In our case, Uncle Vicki, who has supported it from the moment of detention, became the guardian. Now he will be present at all court hearings. Today's decision is not a valid recognition of Vika incompetent, insane, etc. It is based only on the conclusion of experts with whom we do not agree in either form or in fact, and we will dispute it on September 13.

Recall that Victoria Petrov, a graduate of the Higher School of Management of St. Petersburg State University, who worked as a project manager in a St. Petersburg private company, is judged under Art. 207.3 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation for sharing on social networks the videos of journalists Dmitry Gordon* and Alexander Nevzorov*, the policy of Maxim Kats* and the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, as well as several photographs. The investigation regarded all these posts of Vicki as “fakes” about the Russian army. The girl was arrested and concluded in a pre -trial detention center in May last year.

Meanwhile, the conclusion of a psychiatric examination, which was received by the court on August 24, made it possible to mitigate Victoria a preventive measure (the previous period of its detention expires on August 28). The defense asked to let the accused go on bail, petitioned for house arrest. The girl’s uncle confirmed the readiness to provide his apartment for these purposes.

“I do not intend to hide from the court, I want to prove my innocence,” Petrova herself said in court.

However, the prosecutor at the meeting on August 24 insisted on extending the detention in custody. Judge Gennady Pilekhin took the side of the prosecution and sent the girl to the camera until November 28.

Saint Petersburg

* Entered the Russian authorities in the register of "foreign regents".