The former head of the Kuzbass branch of “Voice” Sergei Piskunov was detained on the border with Kazakhstan

The former head of the Kemerovo branch of the Golos observer movement, Sergei Piskunov, was detained in the Altai Territory on the border with Kazakhstan. This was reported by the press service of the Yabloko party, with which the electoral expert cooperates.

The chairman of the Novokuznetsk branch of Yabloko, Denis Shakin, clarified to OVD-Info that Piskunov was detained at the Veseloyarsk checkpoint while trying to cross the border with Kazakhstan. The expert’s friends told the publication “Siberia. Realities” that today, February 12, the Rubtsovsky City Court will choose a preventive measure for him.

What exactly became the reason for the persecution is unknown. According to Yabloko, on Saturday, February 10, a search was conducted in Piskunov’s house in the village of Gramoteino. On the same day, the man was taken to the police department, where he was interrogated by FSB officers and Center “E”. According to the party, during the interrogation Piskunov sat “in his underwear for at least two hours.” After that he was released.

Yabloko claims that a case was opened against Piskunov under the article on the creation of an “extremist community” (Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code). It was she who was indicated in the search warrant.

As Yabloko clarifies, shortly before the search and interrogation, Piskunov submitted an online application “to hold a public event-procession (without posters) of one person in order to express his disagreement with the course of the presidential election campaign.” It is unknown where exactly he planned to hold the action.

In September 2021, the Ministry of Justice declared Sergei Piskunov a “foreign agent.” As the electoral expert said, the reason for this was two money transfers - 9,222 rubles from the League of Voters foundation recognized as a “foreign agent” and 950 from an unnamed citizen of Tajikistan.