14:43, 15 February 2023

Court fines resident of Novorossiysk for discrediting Russian Armed Forces

Stepan Kosolapov. Screenshot https://t.me/ovdinfolive/18381

The Oktyabrsky District Court of Novorossiysk obliged single father Stepan Kosolapov to pay a fine of 40,000 roubles for holding a pacifist picket in front of the city administration. According to the activist’s version, law enforcers promised him a minimum fine under the article if he signed an explanatory note with a confession of his guilt.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the police drew up a protocol against Stepan Kosolapov under the article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

On March 4, 2022, Russia introduced liability for discrediting the country’s Armed Forces. Repeated violation within a year threatens criminal prosecution.

At trial in the case against Stepan Kosolapov, the evidence was a photograph from the Internet with a hidden face and explanations that the man gave under threats of physical violence and insults, the human rights project “OVD-Info”* reported.

Stepan Kosolapov notes that the court did not investigate the case. “They just want to stigmatize a person,” said the man in a video posted in Telegram channel of the publication “Sota”.

*Included by the Russian Minister of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 14, 2023 at 05:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot