A court in the central Russian city of Perm sentenced street musician Yekaterina Romanova to seven days in detention after she participated in a street concert in support of Stoptime, the St. Petersburg group who have faced repeated arrests in the last month, reported independent outlet Sotavision on Monday.
Romanova helped organize an Oct. 22 concert to show solidarity with Stoptime. The concert was not disrupted by law enforcement authorities.
Participants sang “Svetlaya Polosa” by Noize MC, one of the songs Stoptime sang, as well as protest anthems “Peremen” by Kino and “Vse Idet Po Planu” by Yegor Letov.
The group announced a second concert to be held on Nov. 1, but later canceled it. Romanova was arrested on Nov. 1, the day the second concert was originally scheduled to be held.
On canceling the second concert, Romanova wrote on her Telegram channel, “I want to sing without the risk of ending up behind bars. I don’t want music to be tied to politics. It’s about feelings, emotions, life. Now, street musicians are being compromised, with a political subtext being imposed on them. We are just another information channel, nothing more. I don’t care about politics. I am apolitical.”
Officially, police accused her of refusing to undergo a drug test, and sentenced her to seven days of detention, starting Nov. 1.
Authorities have also accused Romanova of “organizing a mass gathering of people in a public place,” according to local news outlet Perm 36.6. She will face a hearing for those charges on Nov. 6.
Sotavision reported that Romanova was held in the police station from Nov. 1-3, where “it was cold and the lights were not turned off,” but is being transferred to a special detention center now.
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