Anastasia Shevchenko left under house arrest

Today, in Rostov-on-Don, the court has extended the term of Anastasia Shevchenko's house arrest until January 18. The activist claims that the pre-trial restriction measure negatively affects her children.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Anastasia Shevchenko, a member of the Open Russia's* federal council, has been under house arrest since January 23. The case against her was the first one in Russia, initiated under Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (activities of an organization recognized as undesirable in the territory of Russia). The Amnesty International recognized Shevchenko to be a prisoner of conscience. On February 8, 2019, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" declared her a political prisoner.

At the today's hearing of the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don, investigator Vadim Kuchin claimed that the case was particularly complicated and requested the court to extend the term of the defendant's house arrest for other 28 days. Vadim Kuchin repeated the earlier arguments of the investigators that Anastasia Shevchenko was accused of "committing a serious crime against the foundation of the constitutional order and security of the state" and could hide from the investigation.

Anastasia Shevchenko claims that the house arrest interferes with examination of the case and complained about the restrictions imposed by the court. "I take care of two minor children for whom I am responsible. All possible bans are imposed on me, and I am not allowed to talk to anyone other than family members at all. Why I am not allowed to talk to the class teacher for 11 months already? I can't talk with my son's swimming coach, and I can't take a prescription from a doctor to get glasses for my daughter," Anastasia Shevchenko expressed her indignation.

Judge Snezhana Fedorova agreed with the investigator and extended the Anastasia Shevchenko's house arrest until January 18. Like earlier, the activist is forbidden to leave home, use phone and the Internet.

*The activities of the two organizations registered in the UK and containing the words "Open Russia" in their titles have been recognized by the Russia's General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) to be undesirable organizations in Russia.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 17, 2019 at 12:56 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.