In Sochi, court's decision in case of sale of Nazi uniform cancelled

The Central District Court of Sochi has cancelled the decision of the magistrate court to seize from a shop of private collector Dmitry Lazarenko a uniform with Nazi symbols and fine him for the Nazi propaganda.

The "Caucasian Knot" has been informed by Dmitry Lazarenko that on March 31, 2015, law enforcers visited his shop in Young Leninists Street. They compiled a protocol under Article 20.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (propaganda or public demonstration of Nazi paraphernalia or symbols), and then they seized a uniform of a marine cadet of the Third Reich. Dmitry Lazarenko himself was fined 1000 roubles. The resident of Sochi did not agree with the seizure of the expensive uniform. He appealed for help to advocate Alexander Popkov, well-known for his activities in cases involving the protection of human rights.

When commenting on the episode to the "Caucasian Knot", Alexander Popkov has noted that the seizure of the uniform is not a struggle against the propaganda of Nazism, since it deprives people of the access to the knowledge and study of history. According to the advocate, the situation can be treated as if it is decided "to seize exhibits from a museum." The advocate has emphasized the decision of the magistrate court has been cancelled due to the fact that it had no right to make such a decision under the mentioned article.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.