Sochi activist Nebieridze sentenced to 15-day arrest

Today, Vitaly Nebieridze, Coordinator of the "Open Sochi" movement, was detained by policemen at his workplace and brought to court. According to the activist, he was unable to get acquainted with the case file; he was denied an advocate; and no detention protocol was drawn up.

The court found him guilty of conducting an unsanctioned protest action and sentenced him to 15 days of arrest.

According to Vitaly Nebieridze, he intends to file a complaint against the judgement, since he refuses to plead guilty.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 16, ten Sochi activists, supporters of the oppositionist Alexei Navalny, went to an anti-corruption action in the "Hyde Park" in Khosta; eight of them were detained. On April 17, Suren Edigarov, the organizer of the action, was sentenced to eight days of arrest, Olga Smirnova, a protester, – to five days and Konstantin Gudimov – to ten days; the latter went on a dry hunger strike immediately after detention. On the same day, Tatiana Voronina was arrested for two days.

"I am outraged by the behaviour of all those, who took part in Vitali Nebieridze's detention, and the judge, who listened but failed to hear that no notifications are required for holding actions in the 'Hyde Park'. A person must stay in jail for 15 days for lawfully expressing his opinion on corruption in Russia," Nina Rogachova, a member of the "Open Sochi" movement, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

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