EU urges Russian authorities to close case against advocate Benyash

In its appeal to the Russian authorities, the European Union claims that the criminal prosecution of Krasnodar advocate Mikhail Benyash violated his right to unhindered protection of people. Intervention by the European Union may convince judges to hold court hearings in the case open for journalists, the advocate himself suggests.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on October 11, 2019, the court found Mikhail Benyash guilty of attacking the police and fined him 30,000 roubles, taking into account the month of his stay at a SIZO (pre-trial prison). On February 22, the Krasnodar Territorial Court cancelled the verdict and sent the case for a new consideration.

On the evening of July 8, the Russian delegation of the European Union spoke out in defence of Mikhail Benyash. “We are closely monitoring the cases of advocates M. Benyash and I. Pavlov. We call on the Russian authorities to stop prosecuting them. The EU stands for the right of advocates to carry out their professional activities without hindrance, since they are the basis of everyone’s right to a fair trial,” wrote the Russian delegation of the European Union on its Twitter account.

Mikhail Benyash himself points out that such attention from the European Union may affect “the openness and impartiality” of the trial in his case.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 9, 2021 at 01:36 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.