MOSCOW, May 26 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul) – The Simonovsky District Court will decide if the time given to Lyudmila Yesipenko, an activist of ultra-conservative Orthodox group Bozhya Volya (God’s Will), who stands accused of vandalizing an art exhibition, for studying her case file should be limited, on May 27, Oksana Mikhalkina, Yesipenko’s lawyer, told RAPSI on Thursday.
“Investigators have petitioned that the limit on time given Yesipenko to study her case file should be set on Monday, May 30. Besides, on the same day, Monday, the examination of investigators’ petition to yet again extend the defendant’s house arrest is set,” – Mikhalkina said.
The investigation into this case has been completed; at the moment Yesipenko and her defense study an 8-volume case file.
Yesipenko had been officially charged with causing damage to cultural valuables, a crime punishable by imprisonment for up to three years under the respective article of the Russia’ s Criminal Code. She pleaded not guilty.
The damage allegedly caused by Yesipenko to the Moscow Government, which is the aggrieved party in the case, amounts to 196,000 rubles ($3,000).
The God’s Will leader Dmitry Tsorionov, aka Enteo, together with his followers attacked an art exhibition held at the Manege space in central Moscow on August 14, 2015.
Tsorionov accused organizers of the exhibition of violating the Russian law that protects the feelings of believers.