Court refuses to replace Anastasia Shevchenko’s suspended sentence with a real imprisonment

In Rostov-on-Don, a court closed a case on replacing the suspended sentence with the real imprisonment for activist Anastasia Shevchenko, who left Russia. The issue of replacing a suspended sentence with a real imprisonment can be decided in court only with the participation of a defendant, an advocate explains.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on February 18, 2021, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Rostov activist Anastasia Shevchenko to four years of suspended sentence for collaborating with an undesirable organization. On August 30, Anastasia Shevchenko announced that she had left for Vilnius with her children. On September 7, it became known that Anastasia Shevchenko was included in the database of wanted persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA).

Today, the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don has terminated the proceedings in the case on the abolition of the suspended sentence imposed on Anastasia Shevchenko, follows from the file of the court.

The proceedings in the case were initiated by the chief of the “branch of the Federal Penitentiary Service”, advocate Sergey Badamshin reported in his Telegram channel. The advocate noted that the case could not be considered in court without the participation of Anastasia Shevchenko herself.

The Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) requested court to replace the Anastasia Shevchenko’s suspended sentence with a real imprisonment, the “161.ru” publication reported. “The suspended sentence was not replaced with a real imprisonment for me. I am already wanted, so they must first find me and bring me to court,” the “161.ru” publication quoted Anastasia Shevchenko herself as saying.

Let us remind you that on February 7, 2021, Anastasia Shevchenko delivered her final speech in court, in which she called on law enforces and judges not to fulfil a political order to prosecute activists. The International Historical Educational Charitable and Human Rights Society “Memorial”** called Anastasia Shevchenko a political prisoner.

**The organization was included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the register of NCOs, performing the functions of a foreign agent, and was liquidated by a court’s decision.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 19, 2022 at 05:51 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.