Support The Moscow Times!

First Russian Found Guilty of Encouraging Children to Protest

Ivan Luzin Vitaly Nevar / newkaliningrad.ru

The first Russian to be prosecuted under a new law that bans encouraging young people to attend unauthorized rallies was found guilty on Monday.

Under the law that President Vladimir Putin signed in December, adults face fines and up to 15 days in jail for involving minors in protests. The law was introduced after opposition leader Alexei Navalny drew thousands of mostly young anti-Kremlin demonstrators to the streets over the past year.


										 					teamnavalny_kld / Vkontakte
teamnavalny_kld / Vkontakte

A district court in Kaliningrad found Ivan Luzin, a volunteer for Navalny’s campaign, guilty and fined him 30,000 rubles ($470), human rights lawyer Alexei Glukhov wrote on his Telegram channel Monday.

Luzin was charged with involving two adolescents in an anti-torture picket last month.

Recent research by Russian sociologists suggests that protesters have become younger, poorer and more left-leaning in recent years.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

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.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more