18:13, 14 December 2023

Sochi resident Kharitonov fined twice for video criticizing authorities

Roman Kharitonov. Screenshot of the video posted on Roman Kharitonov's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@user-vw6hp4ut7m

A court in Sochi has imposed two fines of 30,000 roubles each on Roman Kharitonov for posting a video criticizing Russian authorities. The court has also sentenced him to a fine of 40,000 roubles under the article on discrediting the Russian Army.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 5, in Sochi, law enforcers detained Roman Kharitonov, who had earlier been summoned to the police for posting a video criticizing authorities. Kharitonov explained his dissatisfaction with them by the fact that his grandmother, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, had been derived of her land plot. According to Kharitonov, law enforcers beat him up, trying to force him to sign some protocols.

These protocols drawn up against Kharitonov stated that the video he had distributed "contained information expressed in an indecent form that offends human dignity and public morality, and a clear disrespect for the state, including the President of the Russian Federation." According to law enforcers, he had committed an offense under the article "Petty hooliganism".

The name and the post of Vladimir Putin were not mentioned in Kharitonov's monologue, but the court found that the video clip had insulted the president. Anna Kolmagortseva, an activist whom the court found guilty of petty hooliganism, was also fined for posting this video. The decision will be appealed against because the video was filmed and posted by another user, Anna and her advocate have stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 13, 2023 at 11:43 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: Caucasian Knot