Russia Moscow court rules to release anti-government protester

A Moscow court yesterday ruled to release a protester, who was facing years in prison for assaulting police, following a mounting public campaign in support of anti-government activists and even bystanders caught up in an opposition rally.

Following their own pleas to keep the man in jail, prosecutors at a hearing yesterday asked the court to release Aidar Gubaidulin on recognizance and review the case to clarify the charges. The court ruled in favor, and the man was allowed out of the glass cage in the courtroom that defendants are kept in.  Gubaidulin was one of a dozen Russians facing a prison sentence for his role in the July 27 opposition protest.

Public discontent has been rising against what has been perceived as the Kremlin’s vengeance against the opposition following verdicts this month sentencing four people to prison terms ranging from two to 3 ½ years.

In a rare sign of dissent, more than 50 Russian Orthodox priests signed a public petition late Tuesday, condemning a series of recent trials and prison sentences for the protesters.

“We would like to express our concern about the fact that the verdicts come across as an attempt to intimidate Russian citizens rather than deliver a fair ruling in the case of the defendants,” the letter said.

The priests’ letter also quoted the Bible, pointing out that perjury is a sin.

Most of the convictions against the protesters were based on testimony of riot police officers that didn’t correspond to what can be seen in the footage showing the defendants at the rally.

Dozens of Russian celebrities and entertainers have taken social media this week to show solidarity with little-known actor Pavel Ustinov who was tried and sentenced to 3½ years in prison for assaulting police at the July 27 rally. Footage from the scene showed several officers tackling Ustinov as looked at his phone while standing on the sidelines of the protest. The judge refused the defense’s plea even to review the video.

More than 100 people, including well-known film and theater actors, came out to the Kremlin administration compound in central Moscow to protest the verdict in Ustinov’s case. The protesters formed a lined alongside the building, waiting their turn to stand with a poster in Ustinov’s support outside the entrance to the presidential administration.

Protests erupted in Moscow in July after election officials refused to allow a dozen independent and opposition candidates to run for the Moscow city legislature in the Sept. 8 vote.

Some of the rallies were not authorized by the police, and authorities deployed a formidable police force to disperse the crowds. In the July 27 rally, riot police were seen beating and detaining peaceful protesters. Nearly 1,400 people were briefly detained.

Shortly after the protests, dozens of people were rounded up and charged with assaulting police and rioting. Nataliya Vasilyeva, Moscow , AP