In the Traktorozavodsky District Court of Volgograd, human rights activist Ruslan Nurushev was sentenced to six years in a general regime penal colony. In the proceedings, the prosecutor requested eight years in a general regime penal colony with a ban on administering websites for three years. This was reported to 'OVD-Info'* by his lawyer Yulia Guseva.
The case was initiated in early November due to a post on 'VKontakte' about a missile strike on a café in Kharkiv, and Nurushev was sent to a pre-trial detention center. He did not deny posting it but claimed he did not see any criminal offense in it and did not admit guilt.
This spring, the human rights activist participated in filing a complaint against producer Sergey Mazanov and ex-deputy Roman Potolovsky, who on the air of 'Volgograd-1' disclosed the names of 15 Volgograd residents who laid flowers at a memorial event for Alexei Navalny**. The Investigative Committee then stated that they found no signs of a crime in the disclosure of personal data.
On June 12, searches were conducted at Nurushev's and other activists' places. Formally, he was a witness in a case against the head of the Volgograd Navalny headquarters, but the media linked the visit of law enforcement to the complaint against pro-government TV broadcasters.
On the same day, the Central District Court of Volgograd fined Nurushev 50,000 rubles under the article on 'disrespect for authority' due to a 'poem about Putin' and other posts on 'VKontakte'. The equipment seized during the search was not returned to him, after which a criminal case was initiated.
* Recognized in Russia as a 'foreign agent'.
** Included in the list of 'terrorists and extremists'.
Photo: OVD-Info