Konstantin Bernatov has been declared a political prisoner.

Stavropol resident Konstantin Bernatov, who was sentenced for funding the Anti-Corruption Foundation*, appealed the verdict. Human rights activists deemed his prosecution politically motivated.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, a court in Budyonnovsk sentenced Konstantin Bernatov, a resident of the village of Novaya Zhizn, to three years in prison, finding him guilty of financing extremist activity in exchange for a donation to the Anti-Corruption Foundation*.

The "Support for Political Prisoners. Memorial" project** recognized Konstantin Bernatov as a political prisoner. Human rights activists noted that the materials on the basis of which the Moscow City Court declared the FBK an extremist organization do not contain evidence of extremist activity, and investigations conducted by government agencies also revealed no signs of extremist activity.

Bernatov's criminal prosecution is also based on an unlawful decision by the Moscow City Court and is therefore politically motivated and illegal. While we do not know how much Bernatov donated to the FBK, such cases typically involve small amounts, from 100 to several thousand rubles," the human rights activists emphasized, demanding that the prosecution of Bernatov be stopped and that he be released.

"Caucasian Knot" wrote about other sentences handed down in southern Russian regions in cases involving the financing of the FBK*. For example, in November, a court fined a 26-year-old Syrian woman living in Nalchik 400,000 rubles. The woman claimed that she had accidentally transferred 900 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation* account while buying plane tickets to Turkey.

In May, a court sentenced Krasnodar resident Dmitry Dyba to a year and a half of forced labor after he was accused of financing an extremist organization for donating 1,000 rubles to the Anti-Corruption Foundation*.

* The Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) is included in the register of foreign agents, designated as extremist, and banned in Russia. The foundation's founder, Alexei Navalny, was added to the Rosfinmonitoring list of extremists and terrorists and was sentenced to 19 years in prison for extremism. He died in prison in February 2024. Navalny is recognized as a "prisoner of conscience." The "Caucasian Knot" article "Navalny: The Caucasian Dimension" outlines the opposition leader's views on issues related to the Caucasus.

** has been added to the register of foreign agents.

*** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.