Press Release, 15.05.2024

Photo by Dmitry Chiginsky / Photo from social media

Dmitry Chiginsky, a member of the Bureau of the Tula branch of Yabloko, was fined under the administrative article of “discrediting the army” for writing about the need to conclude a ceasefire agreement on a ballot paper. The Tula district court fined Chiginsky 45,000 roubles for publishing a photo of the ballot on his Vkontakte page. Dmitry Chiginsky, a member of Yabloko and an active participant in the elections in Tula, needs help paying a fine. Yabloko announces a fundraising.

On 17 March, the main day of voting in the presidential elections, Dmitry Chiginsky put a minus sign next to the names of all candidates, and also wrote the following in the blank field of the form: “It is necessary to conclude a ceasefire agreement in order to save people’s lives and the future!” Chiginsky posted a photo of his ballot on his VKontakte page. On the same day, Chiginsky received a call from the security forces and was invited to a “conversation.” Dmitry ignored the invitation. But already on Tuesday, 19 March, an employee of the Interior Department for Counteracting Extremism personally invited Chiginsky to the police station of the Provikzalny District of Tula. On Wednesday, a protocol was drawn up against Chiginsky under Article 20.3.3 of the Administrative Code, and on Friday, 22 March, a judge of the Privokzalny District Court of Tula found Chiginsky guilty of “discrediting the army” and fined him 45,000 roubles. On 25 April, the Tula Regional Court rejected the appeal against the decision of the court of the first instance.

In court, Dmitry Chiginsky explained that he posted a photo of his ballot paper so that his friends and subscribers could see his position: a ceasefire agreement must be concluded in order to save people’s lives and the future. Chiginsky’s position completely coincides with the position of the Yabloko party.

During the appeal, publications from major Russian media which reported that Grigory Yavlinsky discussed with Putin the need to conclude a ceasefire agreement were included in the case. However, the appellate court ignored them. The court rejected the request to order a forensic linguistic examination.

Dmitry Chiginsky is a Candidate of Technical Sciences and works as a chief project engineer in a private construction design company. He is interested in genealogy, researching the history of his family, including the biography of his great-grandfather, a participant in the Second World War. For more than ten years, Chiginsky participated in elections as a member of electoral commissions with a decisive and advisory votes, and an observer. Currently he heads a local  branch of the Yabloko party in Tula and is a member of the governing bodies of the regional branch. Together with his wife, Dmitry is raising a three-year-old daughter.

We urge party members and supporters to help Dmitry Chiginsky to cover the fine: 45,000 roubles must be paid before 25 June.

Read more about persecution of Yabloko members since the start of the special military operation