MOSCOW, December 6 (RAPSI) – Chairman of the Presidential Council for Human Rights Valery Fadeyev on Friday supported court rulings in the unauthorized Moscow rally cases, the advisory body’ s press service reports.
Fadeyev welcomed that courts took into account all circumstances, the stance of the Council and delivered, according to him, adequate verdicts. He added that human rights repeatedly called for such adequate judgments.
On Friday, several Moscow courts passed sentence on four participants of the summer rallies. Yegor Zhukov was given a 3-year suspended term for calls for extremism; Pavel Novikov was just fined about $2,000 (120,000 rubles) for violence against a police officer as he had admitted guilt; Nikita Chirtsov was sentenced to 1 year in jail; Vladimir Yemelyanov received a 2-year suspended term. Moreover, charges against Sergey Fomin, a volunteer of the office of Lyubov Sobol, a might have been candidate for the city Duma deputy, who had been denied registration, were dropped.
Unauthorized rallies in support of candidates seeking to become lawmakers of the Moscow State Duma but refused registration by the Election Commission were held on July 27 and August 3 in central Moscow. Over 1,000 people were arrested for various violations as a result.
Following the 27 July rally, the Investigative Committee criminal cases were opened. Investigators believe that the protest action was held with the use of force against representatives of authority.
Several activists have been already convicted and sentenced. Prosecution of five defendants has been dropped.