Sochi activist Vladimir Atamanchuk sentenced to compulsory works

A court in Sochi has found Vladimir Atamanchuk, a local activist, guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to 160 hours of community works, as well as a fine in favour of the suffered party – Valery Baev, a lawyer.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that this June the court sentenced Atamanchuk to a fine and community works, finding him guilty of slander. Vladimir filed an appeal, but one of the victims in the case, Valery Baev, filed an objection, and as a result the court upheld the sentence. In December, Baev filed another claim, this time accusing Atamanchuk of contempt of court.

On December 2, Atamanchuk filed a complaint, demanding that the judge of the Lazarevsky District Court of Sochi be punished for not issuing him documents and, in the activist's opinion, unreasonably refusing to reconcile the parties.

"This time, I was sentenced to 160 hours of compulsory works and to pay the victim 10,000 roubles for the suffered moral harm, although this time he claimed 100,000. I apologized, admitting that "this should not have been said in court", pointing out that in order to find me guilty, according to the explanation of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, an indecent form of expression is required, and there was none," said Atamanchuk.

He believes that he will again be sent to clean the yard of the hospital, where he had worked as a doctor before retirement.