Yevgeny Roizman, the former mayor of Yekaterinburg in the Urals and one of Russia’s last known dissidents still at large, was arrested today for “defaming” the military, Russian news agencies reported.
Roizman, 59, was “arrested early in the morning” at his home in Yekaterinburg, Russia’s official TASS news agency reported, citing a local security official.
“An investigation has been launched against him for defamation of the Russian military”, an offense for which he can be sentenced to up to ten years in prison, according to the same source.
About ten armed police officers in camouflage uniforms went to the oppositionist’s house in the morning, according to a video posted by the Mash network on the Telegram app.
Police did not allow Roizman’s lawyer, Vladislav Idamjapov, to enter the opposition party’s apartment, where an investigation was being conducted, TASS reported.
“This is a violation of the right to defense,” the lawyer complained, according to his statement cited by TASS.
Roizman opened his apartment window and shouted to reporters gathered near his home that he was being prosecuted for “defamation” of the military, noting that an investigation had been launched against him in Moscow.
Roizman, mayor of Yekaterinburg between 2013 and 2018, may therefore be transferred to the Russian capital next.
According to a police source cited by TASS, the investigation began with a video denouncing the Russian attack on Ukraine, which the opposition leader published on his YouTube channel.
Roizman had already been recently convicted and fined three times for condemning the attack on Ukraine.
“I know they will be able to arrest me,” he told AFP at the end of August. “I have no illusions, I’m not afraid.”
After being crushed by previous waves of repression, the Russian opposition has been decimated since the Russian invasion of Ukraine took place exactly six months ago. The last major critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin have emigrated or gone to prison.
Recently, Ilya Yashin and Vladimir Kara-Murza, two dissidents who had remained in Russia, were jailed for condemning the conflict. They risk a 10-year prison sentence. Before them, well-known Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed in January 2021.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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