Press release, 18.11.2015

The Moscow Presnensky Court dismissed the two cases against Sergei Mitrokhin submitted to court by Moscow police for alleged “violations” by the YABLOKO leader during a remembrance action devoted to those who defended democratic Russia against Bolsheviks in 1917.

The Arbat police station accused Sergei Mitrokhin of violating the rules on conducting mass events (Article 20.2 of the Administrative Code of the RF) and disobedience of lawful police orders (Article 19.3 of the Administrative Code of the RF). The latter envisaged 15 days of administrative arrest.

“Judge Irina Zubova dismissed the case and sent it back to the police stating that the protocols were written in a wrong way and there was no full evidence [of the violations], which impedes examination of the case. This once again proves that the accusations against Sergei Mitrokhin had no grounds”, said Boris Mamatov, Sergei Mitrokhin’s lawyer.

On 7 November, YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin was brutally arrested during YABLOKO’s annual peaceful action of laying of flowers commemorating the victims of the Bolsheviks’ terror – officers and students of military schools who defended democratic Russia against the Bolsheviks’ coup d’etat in 1917. Mitrokhin was forcefully taken to the Arbat police station and released after several hours of arrest only after interference of Andrei Babushkin, famous human rights defender in Russia and member of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights.

YABLOKO leader noted that the accusations had had no grounds and regarded them as politically motivated.

Later Sergei Mitrokhin submitted his counter-suit to the court against the police actions.

On 15 November, YABLOKO Chairman and party activists completed the action broken by police on the 7th of November.