Vocal teacher Natalya Narskaya, who was charged in Russia with inciting hatred or hostility on the Internet (Part 2 of Article 282 of the Criminal Code) and calls for extremism (Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code), was released from Pretrial Detention Center No. 18 in Almaty. This was reported by the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law.
Narskaya was released because the maximum period of arrest for the extradition request had expired.
The girl's arrest at Russia's request became known in September 2023, when she had already spent two months in pretrial detention. At that time, it was not known under what article the case against the teacher was opened and what was the reason for it.
As reported by Network Freedoms, Narskaya was charged with several posts on VKontakte. The security forces considered that the texts contained phrases inciting hatred towards Russian military personnel and "a group of individuals identified by nationality: Russians, Russia." The publications also, according to the investigation, contained calls for violence, namely destruction and discrimination.
The case was opened in April 2023, and on June 26, Narskaya was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list. At the end of July 2023, police came to her apartment in Almaty. At that time, the girl was not at home, but later she voluntarily came to the police station, where she was detained. After that, the court sent the teacher to a pretrial detention center for 12 months under the rules for the detention of extradited foreigners.
Journalist Evgeniya Baltatarova spoke about the girl’s severe psychiatric condition, which is why she was placed in solitary confinement: “The entire prison thinks that she is being tortured because of her incessant screaming and the injuries she inflicts on herself.”
- After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Narskaya wrote a letter to the administration of the city of Lyubertsy, where she lived at the time. In it, she condemned the actions of Russian troops, after which local deputies filed a complaint with the police. A few days after the security forces' visit, the girl left Russia. In November 2022, Narskaya gave an anti-war interview to the Ochevidtsy project, in which she called herself a Russophobe and criticized the passivity of Russian society.
- Since February 24, 2022 — the first day of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine — residents of Russian cities have been taking part in anti-war protests and talking about the tragedy online every day. Anti-war speeches and statements are becoming grounds for criminal prosecution. At the moment, more than 950 people have become defendants in criminal cases initiated due to protests against the war with Ukraine. Read more about this in our infographic .
- After the war in Ukraine began, the Russian authorities began to react sharply to protest sentiments. The list of articles under which those speaking out against the war are prosecuted is quite broad. The defendants in “anti-war cases” are often charged with hooliganism, vandalism, violence against government officials, and other violations. Articles introduced into the Criminal Code after the start of military operations also became a significant element of pressure: the dissemination of “fakes” about the Russian army and discrediting the armed forces.