Lawyer Explains Activist's Acquittal Over Navalny Photo

The Third Cassation Court overturned the ruling on the administrative arrest of activist Savva Fedoseyev, who was sentenced to 13 days in prison under Article 20.3 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation on displaying extremist symbols. The basis for prosecution was the publication of a photo of Alexei Navalny on social media.

Fedoseyev«s lawyer Alexei Kalugin received the corresponding ruling this week and noted that this case was the first in Russia where cassation overturned a decision in a similar case. »Unfortunately, the overturn occurred due to formal circumstances, since the time since the offense was detected was incorrectly calculated. Regarding the absence of an offense, the court did not agree with us, even despite responses from competent authorities that Navalny«s photo is not a symbol of an extremist organization,» Kalugin wrote. He added that his client retains the right to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Kirovsky District Court of St. Petersburg imposed administrative arrest on Fedoseyev in mid-September 2023. The activist, a coordinator of the movement «Society. Future,» posted a photo of Navalny on February 16, 2024, the day when the politician«s death in prison became known. In the accompanying text, Fedoseyev expressed a critical attitude towards the oppositionist»s ideas.

Under similar charges in St. Petersburg, several other political figures have been prosecuted. Article 20.3 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation provides for a ban on participation in elections for one year from the time of prosecution, but for Savva Fedoseyev, this ban lost force after the court decision was overturned.