Rights defender Nagavkin challenges verdict on disrupting SIZO work

Igor Nagavkin, a human rights defender, has appealed against the verdict passed on him by the Leninsky District Court of the Volgograd Region within the case of disorganizing the work of the SIZO (pre-trial prison), treating his conditional imprisonment as unjustified. He has pointed to the violations committed by the court.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Leninsky District Prosecutor's Office had appealed against Nagavkin's verdict, demanding from the regional court to sentence him to real imprisonment for two years. On June 26, Nagavkin was found guilty of disorganization of the work of the SIZO during the incident on May 15, 2023. Then, he was placed into a cell with those accused under the article on sexual acts with minors. He expressed his protest by smashing the furniture in the cell and squabbling with the wardens, who treated Nagavkin's words as a threat to their lives and health.

Nagavkin has claimed infringement of his right to defence and violations during the linguistic expertise of his words.

"The expert, the prosecutor and the judge made up the meaning of my statements made to the SIZO staff. They made up the consequences that could allegedly follow my words ... This is the highest degree of subjectivity and incompetence. This is not justice, but complete lawlessness," he has stated, believing that some witness interrogation protocols had been falsified.

Sergey Ivaschenko, a lawyer, has noted that the prosecution has failed to prove the presence of threats in Nagavkin's words pronounced during the incident.