Anniversary of Navalny’s death: Detentions at memorial rallies and pressure on participants: Human rights news, court updates & analysis | 34 related articles

17.02.2025

16:52

The Leninsky District Court of Ulyanovsk has fined local human rights defender Igor Toporkov one thousand roubles (approximately US$11) for displaying prohibited symbols (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). This was reported by “7×7—Horizontal Russia.”

Toporkov was detained yesterday, 16 February, while laying flowers at the monument to victims of political repression in Ulyanovsk, a city on the Volga River in central Russia. A report was filed against him because of a portrait of Alexei Navalny, and he was kept overnight at the police station until his court hearing.

14:06

Volgograd Oblast

The Volzhsky City Court has sentenced Alexander Yefimov, a member of the federal bureau of the Yabloko party, to 14 days in detention. This was reported on the local Memorial Telegram channel.

Yefimov was detained on 16 February because he brought a portrait of Navalny and flowers to the monument to victims of political repression.

He was found guilty under the article on displaying prohibited symbols (Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences). He spent the night in the police station.

11:10

Yaroslavl Oblast

In Yaroslavl, a major city northeast of Moscow, security forces detained Darya Golubkova, Andrey Akimov and three other people on the morning of 16 February while they were travelling by car to the Borisovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, where Alexey Navalny is buried. Golubkova herself reported this to OVD-Info.

The security officers said they had received an alert concerning the car. The vehicle was searched and all those inside were taken to the police department for the Gavrilov-Yamsky district. From there, the detainees were transported to the Yaroslavl narcological hospital for a medical examination. Golubkova and Akimov refused to undergo the procedure, and after leaving the hospital they were taken to the police station for the Leninsky district. The others were released after undergoing the examination.

At the Leninsky district station, Golubkova and Akimov were charged with drug use (Part 1, Article 6.9 of the Administrative Offences Code). They spent the night in different police stations.

According to Golubkova, she is expected to be brought to court soon. Akimov has not been in touch so far.

13:40 Darya Golubkova began feeling unwell at the station, and a psychiatric emergency team was called for her.

18 February The court fined Andrey Akimov four thousand roubles (about US$43). His acquaintance informed OVD-Info of this today.

00:07

Volgograd Oblast

In Volgograd, a major city in southern Russia, three more people were detained today during a flower-laying ceremony at a monument to victims of political repression. This was reported to OVD-Info by one of those detained, Yevgeniya Derkach.

She said that police drew up reports against them due to the absence of passports. All three were later released from the police station.

During the detention, a police officer told them that a heightened alert regime had been introduced in the region, and that under the Volgograd Region Administrative Offences Code, being without identification documents during this period carried an administrative penalty.

Earlier, it was reported that former city council deputy Ilya Kravchenko and Maksim Tulin had also been detained in Volgograd. Kravchenko was held in the station overnight pending trial, while Tulin was released without a report being filed.

16.02.2025

21:54

Saint Petersburg

Kristina Johnson Ramirez, who was detained in St Petersburg at a memorial event for Navalny, told OVD-Info that she began to feel unwell in the police van.

She said that she has asthma and started to struggle to breathe in the crowded van. The detainee started banging on the van door, but the police did not respond. “I feel like I’m about to lose consciousness. I feel very unwell,” Ramirez wrote.

The woman took part in the event holding a portrait of Navalny with the caption: “We will not forget, we will not forgive. Lesha, we miss you.”

22:48 Ramirez told OVD-Info that an ambulance was called for her. Nevertheless, the security forces refused to let her go and took her to police station No. 28. She managed to say that her phone was being taken away.

0:40 Kristina Johnson Ramirez will spend the night in the police station until the court hearing. She has been charged with publicly displaying extremist symbols (Part 1, Article 20.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) for carrying a portrait of Navalny.

17 February After the court hearing, Kristina Johnson Ramirez is being taken back to the police station. This was reported by OVD-Info’s lawyer, Sergei Podolsky.

He noted that the court returned the protocol drawn up for her to the police for corrections, with the following explanation: “The case materials lack the founding documents of the non-profit organisations FBK, ‘The Citizens’ Rights Protection Foundation,’ and the ‘Navalny Headquarters’ movement, which have been designated extremist organisations, as well as a description of the depiction of Alexei Navalny as their symbol. This prevents the court from properly establishing the facts that must be proven.”

21:21

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast

Svetlana Kolobova, a resident of Nizhny Novgorod, was detained while laying flowers at the monument by Bugrovskoye Cemetery, the site of a mass grave for victims of political repression. This was reported by RusNews, citing a friend of the detainee.

21:07

Republic of Tatarstan

In Kazan, during a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to victims of political repression, police detained three people, including Azat Shaekhov, who was filming the arrests. Shaekhov himself reported this to OVD-Info.

Local politician Dmitry Rumyantsev said on his Telegram channel that one of those detained is named Andrey Timonin.

The detainees were taken to the “Yapeeva” police station.

20:25

Volgograd Oblast

In Volzhsky, Alexander Yefimov, a member of the federal bureau of the Yabloko party, has been detained, according to the Volgograd “Memorial” Telegram channel.

A protocol was drawn up against Yefimov for displaying banned symbols (Article 20.3 of the Administrative Offences Code). The Volzhsky City Court is set to review the protocol tomorrow, 17 February, at 9:00 am. Until then, Yefimov will remain at the police station.

“Novaya Gazeta Europe,” quoting people close to the politician, reports that the reason for the administrative case was a portrait of Alexei Navalny, which Yefimov brought along with flowers to the memorial. According to the publication, law enforcement officers deemed Navalny’s image to be a “display of extremist symbols.”

19:30

Volgograd Oblast

In Volgograd, a major city on the Volga River, former city council deputy Ilya Kravchenko and Maksim Tulin were detained for laying flowers at a memorial to victims of political repression, reports the Telegram channel ‘Dozor in Volgograd | No to War! .’

According to their information, the detainees were taken to the police station in the Central District.

21:35 Tulin was released from the police station without a report, while Kravchenko is being kept at the station overnight, OVD-Info was told by the detainees’ friend Sergei.

According to Sergei, the former deputy is being charged with disobeying the police (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences) and violating the rules for holding public events (Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offences). His phone was confiscated. The administrative court hearing for Kravchenko is expected to take place tomorrow morning, 17 February.

17 February Ilya Kravchenko was sentenced to 14 days of arrest after laying flowers at the memorial to victims of political repression. This was reported by the ‘Alternative Volgograd’ channel and noted by RusNews.

According to information from the ‘Dozor in Volgograd’ channel, the arrest was imposed under the report of disobeying police. It is not reported whether there was a court hearing under the article concerning violation of the rules for public events.

19:03

Republic of Bashkortostan

In Ufa, a major city in the Urals, Timur Kalimullin was detained while laying flowers at the memorial to victims of political repression to pay tribute to Aleksei Navalny, he told OVD-Info.

Kalimullin said he was detained because of the “No to war” inscription on his backpack. He is to be taken to Police Station No. 7.

An OVD-Info reader in Ufa said that police officers were asking people who came to the memorial for their details and their reasons for laying flowers. According to her, those who refused to provide their details or said they supported Navalny were detained. At the same time, Kalimullin reported that everyone detained with him was released.

19:46 In Ufa, lawyer Sergei Makarenko was also detained while laying flowers, Kalimullin told OVD-Info.

The lawyer was detained for not having his passport with him.

Both detainees were taken to Police Station No. 7. Kalimullin said he would write an explanation.

22:05 The detainees were released from the police station without any charges being filed, Kalimullin told OVD-Info. He said they were given warnings.

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Anniversary of Navalny’s death: Detentions at memorial rallies and pressure on participants

17.02.2025

16.02.2025