Activists Gazaryan and Dutlov, detained in Tuapse, sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest

Today, the Tuapse District Court held two trials against Suren Gazaryan, the member of the Board of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", the member of the "Yabloko" Party, his lawyer, and Viktor Dutlov, the member of the "Yabloko" Party.

At 5:40 on March 13, Suren Gazaryan and Viktor Dutlov were detained by staff members of the private safeguarding company in the territory of the forest near the so-called "summer cottage of Governor Tkachov," at the Blue Bay. Protocols of administrative violations were completed against the detainees under Article "Disobedience to lawful demand of a police officer."

Throughout the night, Suren Gazaryan and Viktor Dutlov were kept at the OVD (Interior Division) of the Tuapse District, in front of which today from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. seven activists of the "Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", "Yabloko" Party, and the "Committee for Protection of Tuapse" held single pickets in defence of the detainees.

At about 9:00 a.m. Moscow time, Suren Gazaryan and Viktor Dutlov were brought to the Tuapse District Court. Before the beginning of the court sessions, they told Evgeny Vitishko, the member of the Board of the " Ecological Watch for Northern Caucasus", Chairman of the Tuapse Branch of the "Yabloko" Party, that at night they had been placed to the temporary detention facility of the Tuapse OVD, "where they were kept in unbearable conditions there was complete lack of sanitation in the cells and it was very cold."

At about 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, the trial against Viktor Dutlov was started; the case was considered by Magistrate Sergey Bondarev. Viktor Dutlov was sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest for "disobedience to lawful demand of a police officer."

About an hour ago, the same Magistrate conducted the trial against Suren Gazaryan. The court considered all the arguments of the defendant groundless, and Suren Gazaryan was also sentenced to 10 days of administrative arrest.

Suren Gazaryan and Viktor Dutlov were brought to the detention centre of the UVD (Interior Department) in Tuapse and Tuapse District of the Krasnodar Territory.