Trial over Mitrokhin postponed until 29 December
Press release, 18.12.2015
Today, December 18, the Tverskoy District Court postponed the trial over Sergei Mitrokhin on his detention at an action in defence of the Russian Constitution. This way the court satisfied the motion of lawyer Boris Mamatov.
Sergei Mitrokhin is charged with violation of Article 19.3 of the Administrative Violations Code (disobedience to a lawful order of a police officer) envisaging an administrative arrest for up to 15 days.
According to the Interfax information agency, the Tverskoy District Court returned 10 case of the activists detained on the 12th of December back to the police for their revision, however, the case of Sergei Mitrokhin was not among them.
The hearings on Anton Antonov-Ovseyenko and Igor Bakirov cases were to take place today at the same time. Lawyer Boris Mamatov also filed a motion to postpone the court session.
Mitrokhin, Antonov-Ovseyenko and Bakirov are also charged with violation of Article 20.2 of the Administrative Violations Code (participation in unsanctioned mass actions). The hearings on these cases will be held on 21 December 21, time will be confirmed additionally.
On the Russian Constitution Day, the 12th of December, YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin, Anton Antonov-Oveseyenko, head of YABLOKO community liaison office of the Moscow YABLOKO, Grigory Semyonov, deputy chairman of the Moscow YABLOKO, party activists Igor Bakirov and Stanislav Belyansky and other activists were arrested during an action in defence of the Constitution. Two of the detainees, Stanislav Beliansky and Grigory Semyonov, were kept in police for 48 hours.
Sergei Mitrokhin and YABLOKO activists stood in pickets in Pushkin Square on the Constitution Day. Participants of the action were holding posters with the slogan resembling that of Soviet human rights activists who came on this very square 50 years ago, on December 5, 1965: “Respect Our Constitution!” Activists replaced each other, passing the poster from hand to hand. Thus, the action could not be considered as a mass action it was not a mass action, but one-person picketing which does not require any permissions from the authorities.
Andrei Babushkin, member of the Presidential Council for Civil Society Development and Human Rights issued a statement where he called the case against the defenders of the Constitution unlawful.
The hearings will take place in the Tverskoy District Court on December 29 (address: Tzvetnoi Bulvar 25A).
Posted: December 19th, 2015 under Freedom of Assembly, History.