Press Release, 2.06.2022

Photo: Anna Cherepanova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Anna Cherepanova, Chairwoman of the Novgorod branch of the Yabloko party, obtained compensation for moral damage and material damage in connection with the illegal actions of the Novgorod police to bring her to administrative liability. The federal budget will pay the opposition politician 15,000 roubles. On 1 June, the Novgorod Regional Court upheld the decision of the Novgorod Regional Court and dismissed the appeal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

In April 2021, the head of the department of the Novgorod police drew up a protocol against Anna Cherepanova for a post on the VKontakte social network about holding a rally in memory of Boris Nemtsov (an opposition politician killed on the bridge by the Kremlin walls on 27 February 2015) organised by the Novgorod branch of the Yabloko party. Anna Cherepanova was charged with Article 20.2, Part 2 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation (“organization of a public event without filing notifications”). The Novgorod District Court terminated the proceedings due to the absence of an event of an administrative offense, the public prosecutor’s office of Novgorod submitted to the head of the Internal Affairs Directorate for Novgorod a submission about a violation of the law by the police when drawing up a protocol and bringing the guilty person to disciplinary liability. However, the police did not implement the submission, stating that there were “sufficient grounds for drawing up a protocol” and recommended to the court “to study the judicial practice of other regions”.

“We decided not to leave it as it is. If police chiefs cover the violations of “their officers”, then the state will be responsible for the fabrication of cases and lawlessness.

Violation of rights and persecution for political reasons should not go unpunished, otherwise the law enforcement that “never make mistakes” will continue to put pressure on activists, politicians and citizens, realising that they will go unpunished for this, and if something happens, the bosses will cover them,” Anna Cherepanova, Chairwoman of the Novgorod branch of Yabloko, commented.

The Novgorod branch of the Yabloko Party announces that it is ready to share its experience and help everyone who has been unlawfully prosecuted by the police on administrative cases.

  Anna CHEREPANOVA

is a member of the Federal Bureau of Yabloko, Chair of the Novgorod regional branch of the party. Deputy of the Novgorod Duma