Activist Marina Melikhova challenges fine for poem

In her appeal complaint, Marina Melikhova has demanded to stop her administrative prosecution for a poem she wrote, which the court treated as discrediting the Russian Army.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 6, the Armavir City Court fined Melikhova by 30,000 roubles for a pacifist poem addressed to her grandfather, who died during the Great Patriotic War (World War II).

Melikhova and Maria Spasibukhova, her advocate, treat the fine as illegal and imposed in violation of the Russian legislation.

"She didn't publish the poem posted on the YouTube; the channel does not belong to her, and she had no access to the Internet on the publication date, May 12, 2024. The poem is read out by a person with a male voice, clearly not Melikhova's one ... She didn't ask anyone to publish her poem," the complaint states.

Besides, the poem "contained no mentioning of the Russian Armed Forces, and no criticism of the special military operation (SMO), or mentioning of the Russian Federation as a whole." "One's personal creativity cannot be treated as any kind of offense or defamation," the complaint says.

According to Melikhova, such fictitious cases against unwanted people distract investigators from real crimes only with the purpose of intimidating peaceful people having pacifist views, which is not a crime.