A Moscow court ruled Thursday that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to proceed to trial in the case of five people accused of inciting violence during December’s rioting on Manezh Square, RIA-Novosti reported.
At the closed-door preliminary hearing, the Tverskaya District Court also extended the pretrial detention of the suspects — Leonid Panin and Alexander Kozevin and Other Russia members Igor Berezyuk, Kirill Unchuk and Ruslan Khubayev — until Jan. 26, the report said.
The five are charged with hooliganism, inciting mass unrest and assaulting a government official.
Berezyuk is also charged with inciting hatred during the rioting.
On Dec. 11, five days after the shooting death of a FC Spartak fan during a clash between football fans and North Caucasus natives in Moscow, some 5,000 football fans and nationalists staged a violent demonstration on Manezh Square, just outside the Kremlin walls.
The five suspects have insisted that they were not involved in the rioting, which injured 32 people.
Eduard Limonov, leader of The Other Russia opposition movement, wrote on his LiveJournal blog that the court proceedings were a “total lie” because the witnesses were mostly police officers.
“To our knowledge, the authorities have already determined their prison terms: Berezyuk will get eight years, Khubayev — four, and Unchuk — three. Their only crime was being a member of The Other Russia,” he said.
The next hearing will take place Aug. 18.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
