Press Release, 14.08.2019

Photo: Konstantin Kotov

Grigory Yavlinsky, Chairman of the Yabloko Party’s Federal Political Committee, came to the Presnensky District Court of Moscow to personally vouch for the civil activist Konstantin Kotov, who is accused of “repeated violations of the order of  holding public events” under Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code envisaging up to five years of imprisonment.

Today, the Presnensky District Court of Moscow should choose a preventive measure for Konstantin Kotov. Together with Yavlinsky, writers Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Viktor Shenderovich, as well as dozens of people came to the court to vouch for the activist.

Konstantin Kotov was born in 1985 in Moscow. He works as a software programmer. He was one of the organisers of the picket “Exchange of All for All” – the participants of the action have been picketing by the Presidential Administration every day for almost a year now, demanding an exchange of prisoners taken by both the sides in the war in Donbass, East Ukraine.

Kotov participated in all the actions for the admission of independent candidates to the Moscow City Duma election. On 10 August, he was detained while walking after a rally for fair elections. This detention was a formal reason for initiating a criminal case under article 212.1 of the Criminal Code, since Kotov already had three court decisions that entered into force under article 20.2 of the Administrative Offenses Code on “violations” during mass events. Previously, he was held administratively liable for participating in the gathering “In Defense of the New Generation” near the Federal Security Service building on 13 May, then for actions in support of Ivan Golunov, journalist who was planted drugs for his anti-corruption investigations, on 12 June and, finally, for calling people to come to Trubnaya Square in Moscow on 19 July and demand registration of independent candidates in the Moscow City Duma election.

Earlier, Grigory Yavlinsky said that he had not seen any “riots” in the streets of Moscow, although he was at all the rallies and processions of recent weeks, including the action of 27 July. “But what I saw there was the brutal dispersal by the security forces of civilians who took to the streets to express their dissatisfaction with the lies of the authorities. And all of Russia saw this,” the leader of Yabloko wrote. Yavlinsky promised to stand surety for most of those arrested and provide legal assistance to those detained during protests.