Press Release, 19.04.2022

Photo: Vyacheslav Chernov / Photo from social networks

On 18 April, the Investigative Committee of the Kemerovo Region, basing on a report from the deputy head of the regional Centre for Counteracing Extremism, opened a criminal case against Vyacheslav Chernov, a civil activist, entrepreneur, and a candidate for the State Duma from the Yabloko party in 2021.

Chernov is accused of committing a crime under Article 282 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation – “actions aimed at inciting hatred or enmity, as well as humiliating the dignity of a person or a group of persons… committed publicly… by a person after he was brought to administrative responsibility for a similar act within one year”.

Vyacheslav Chernov published a video, in which he criticizes the authorities of the Kemerovo region and gives his assessment of the work of law enforcement agencies in investigating the circumstances of the accident at the Listvyazhnaya mine, when 51 people died.

“These people get used to total lies,” Vyacheslav Chernov says in the video. “They lie about the election results. They lie about coronavirus statistics, the environment, and safeguarding of safety rules [in mines]. This is a system of total lies. It is captivating. It spreads. They get used to it. As a result, such tragedies occur. Then you watch 50 people suddenly dying overnight.”

At the end of 2021, Vyacheslav Chernov was twice found guilty under Article 20.3.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (“incitement of hatred or enmity”) for publishing a video with the text “When lies become a system, dark times come for everyone without exception”. Then Chernov served ten days of administrative arrest. Repeated violation of the law, from the point of view of law enforcement agencies, was the reason for initiating a criminal case.

A possible punishment under Article 282 Part 1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is a fine from 300,000 to 500,000 roubles, forced labour from one to four years or imprisonment from two to five years.

It should be noted that earlier a criminal case had already been opened against Vyacheslav Chernov for insulting the Chairman of the Regional Electoral Commission. As part of the investigation, a search was conducted in Chernov’s house and equipment was seized. Chernov says that the status of the criminal case is currently unknown.

The pressure on Vyacheslav Chernov may be related to the conflict between the entrepreneur and Sergei Tsivilev, Governor of the Kemerovo region, over private plot of land in the Sheregesh ski resort. For several years, the regional government has been ousting entrepreneurs out of the resort in exchange for monetary compensation. Vyacheslav Chernov refuses to close his business that provides for his family and gives jobs for several dozen employees.

Vyacheslav Chernov ran for the State Duma from Yabloko in September 2021 without being a party member. He was included in the territorial part of the federal list, and also represented the party in the Novokuznetsk constituency No 104.

Earlier, the chairman and activists of the Kemerovo regional branch of Yabloko, Vitaly Ilyin, Alexander Kalashnik, Nikolai Kovalchuk, Valentin Grushevsky and Denis Shakin, were subjected to police pressure for their pacifist stance as regards the “special operation” in Ukraine, received administrative fines for “discrediting the use of the Armed Forces of the RF” and violating the face-mask requirements during picketing. The leader of the Kemerovo branch of the party, Vitaly Ilyin, was fired from his job in the township-forming enterprise.