Irina Kalmykova, a Russian woman accused of repeatedly violating Russia’s law on public rallies, has been granted refugee status in Lithuania, the Interfax news agency reported Friday.
Kalmykova — one of the first charged with violating the new law — was declared internationally wanted by Russia and her documents sent to Interpol.
According to a post on Kalmykova’s Facebook page, at the end of January she traveled to Ukraine in order to avoid criminal prosecution in Russia.
Several opposition activists, including Ildar Dadin, were charged with the same article of Russian Criminal Code. Dadin was sentenced to three years in a penal colony by Moscow’s Basmanny Court. His penalty was later reduced by six months, Interfax reported.
According to the law, a person who commits the same administrative offense more than twice within 180 days should be held criminally liable.
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