18:43, 19 February 2021

Activist Vera Oleinikova detained in Rostov-on-Don

Vera Oleinikova. Screenshot: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLeEJ-dnc3M/

Today, in Rostov-on-Don, the police have detained and brought to court Vera Oleinikova, a participant of a protest rally in support of Anastasia Shevchenko. According to the activist herself, she does not know why she is detained.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that prosecutors requested the court to sentence Anastasia Shevchenko, a member of the federal council of the NGO "Open Russia"*, to five years of imprisonment. On February 7, Anastasia Shevchenko delivered her final speech, in which she called on law enforcers and judges not to fulfil the political order to persecute activists. On February 18, 2021, the Oktiabrsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Anastasia Shevchenko to four years of conditional imprisonment.

Anastasia Shevchenko had been under house arrest since January 2019. Until August 27, 2019, the activist was completely isolated from her own children, and the court did not even allow her calling them. While Anastasia Shevchenko had been under house arrest, her eldest disabled daughter died. Despite the requests from the defence, the court did not allow Anastasia Shevchenko any visits to her daughter until her death.

The police drew up a protocol against Vera Oleinikova about insulting the authorities and then brought the activist to the Proletarsky District Court, the "1rnd.ru" reported.

The activist confirmed the detention. However, she explained that the police brought her to another court. "I was detained [...] right at the exit of the entrance. They brought me to the Zheleznodorozhny District Court. They are going to bring me to responsibility, I don't know under what article," Vera Oleinikova has said today in a video posted on her Telegram channel. In the video, Vera Oleinikova is sitting indoors, with a medical mask on her face. "I'm waiting for an advocate, and I don't intend to talk to anyone without the advocate," the activist added.

*The activities of two UK-registered organizations that contain the words "Open Russia" in their names have been recognized by the Russian General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) as undesirable in the country.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 19, 2021 at 01:47 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.