Press Release, 02.02.2023

Photo: Emilia Slabunova / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Today the Petrozavodsk City Court was examining, for four and a half hours, the case of an administrative offense by Emilia Slabunova, head of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of Karelia, a member of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko and Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation. Slabunova was accused of “discrediting the army” (Article 20.3.3 Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), because at a meeting of the Karelian Legislative Assembly she called for spending money on the education of children, and not on military operations. The Judge denied all eight defence motions and set a fine of 30,000 roubles as punishment for the work of Emilia Slabunova in the Parliament of Karelia in the interests of voters.

“The police officer who was present at the hearing and was giving explanations, sincerely said, “Well, she offered to finance schools and hospitals, and not a special military operation. It means that she DOUBTED its goals…” We will fight further,” Alexander Kobrinsky, one of the defenders of Emilia Slabunova, commented on the results of the hearing.

It took the judge only a few minutes to make a decision on the case despite the fact that the hearing lasted more than four hours.

“This decision is political, and the outcome of the trial was obvious in advance. It is clear that all this was done on order so that to halt the opposition deputy and create as many obstacles as possible for her activities,” Emilia Slabunova said.

Emilia Slabunova, along with her defenders, is preparing to appeal the court’s decision.

Since the beginning of the so-called “special operation”, at least 40 protocols on “discrediting the army” have been drawn up against members and supporters of Yabloko, including Boris Vishnevsky, MP of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersbur and Deputy Chairman of Yabloko, who, as well as Emilia Slabunova, found out that a protocol of violation was drawn up against him a few days later. Earlier in St. Petersburg, Alexander Shishlov, leader of the Yabloko faction in the Legislative Assembly of St.Petersburg and Coordinator of the Federal Political Committee of Yabloko, was fined under Article 20.3.3 Part 1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. The decision will be appealed once again to the Third Court of Cassation.

Read more about the persecution of Yabloko members after the start of the “special operation”.

EMILIA SLABUNOVA

is member of the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko party, Chair of Yabloko in 2015-2019.

Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia.

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Honoured Teacher of Russia