Court refuses to soften freedom restraint measure for comedian Ostanin

The arrest of Artyom Ostanin, a comedian from the city of Yeysk, was extended by a month; a Moscow court has dismissed the defence’s notion to transfer Ostanin to house arrest.

A criminal case was opened against the stand-up comedian, Artyom Ostanin, from Yeysk after his performance in which he joked about a disabled person who had stepped on a mine. Investigators saw his words as an insult to a participant in the special military operation (SMO), but Ostanin himself claims that he was joking about a simple beggar. Ostanin was detained while trying to leave Russia. During interrogation, he apologized for his joke about a disabled person without legs. Ostanin filed a complaint with the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) about the beating by Belarusian law enforcers. Eva Merkachova, a member of the Human Rights Council, has called for an inquiry into the violation of the rights of a Russian citizen and for him to be provided with high quality medical care. Ostanin was detained while trying to leave Russia, says the reference material prepared by the "Caucasian Knot" entitled "The Main Thing About Beating Up and Arrest of Comedian Artyom Ostanin".

The Artyom Ostanin's freedom restriction measure has been extended, the press service of the Moscow courts of general jurisdiction has reported. "The ruling of the Meschansky District Court of Moscow has satisfied the investigator's petition to extend the arrest of Artyom Ostanin, accused of committing a crime under paragraph "a" of Part 2 of Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code, for a period of one month," the above press service said in its Telegram channel.

The court has rejected the defendant’s and his advocate’s motion to change the preventive measure to another one, not related to custody, including house arrest, the report says.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 13, 2025 at 02:36 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.