Trials in cases of extremism against Yabloko candidates in Novgorod Oksana Sergeyeva and Valery Kochnev postponed
Press Release, 29.09.2023
Photo: Valery Kochnev (second from left) with a support group awaiting the court hearing / Photo by the Novgorod branch of the party
On 28 September, a wave of false reports about mining occurred in Veliky Novgorod. In addition to schools and kindergartens, the work of the Novgorod District Court, where hearings on administrative cases about “demonstration of extremist symbols” against candidates for deputies of the City Duma of Veliky Novgorod from the Yabloko party Oksana Sergeyeva and Valery Kochnev, was also paralysed. The court did not consider Sergeyeva’s case at all, and the hearing of the Kochnev case began an hour after the appointed time and then was also postponed.
During the meeting, Valery Kochnev explained that he did not post a video clip for the song “Zombie”; unidentified persons had access to his page on VKontakte social media. He contacted the police about this, but to no avail.
Valery Kochnev’s trial was postponed until Tuesday, 3 October, 16:30. The court will hear an expert.
The trial for Oksana Sergeyeva was postponed until Thursday, 5 October, 15:00.
The Novgorod Yabloko thanks everyone who came to support Yabloko candidates in court and invites all to come to the next hearings.
Posted: September 29th, 2023 under Elections, Freedom of Speech, Governance, Human Rights, Judiciary, Regional and Local Elections, Regional and Local Elections 2023, Russia-Ukraine relations, Yabloko's Regional Branches.