Rostov picketers demand to release Anastasia Shevchenko

About 50 residents of Rostov-on-Don gathered for a picket demanding to decriminalize the article on "undesirable organizations" and stop the criminal prosecution of the local activist Anastasia Shevchenko.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Anastasia Shevchenko was detained within a case of an undesirable organization after a search on January 21. On January 23, the Leninsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sent her under the house arrest. The Amnesty International (AI) has declared her a prisoner of conscience.

The picket held on February 1 in the Stroiteley (Builders') Park brought together activists of the "Solidarity" Movement, "RPR-Parnas", the "Civil Initiative" Party and other oppositional organizations. According to the organizers, there were fifty picketers.

The leaflets spread among passersby contained the demands to immediately release Anastasia Shevchenko and decriminalize Article 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Valentina Tolmachova, an activist of the "People's Freedom" Party, who came to the picket, expressed her extreme outrage at the criminal prosecution of Shevchenko. "I couldn't but come, because what is happening in our city is extremely disturbing. I was at Anastasia's trials, both at the first-instance and at the regional courts. It was quite unpleasant to watch the well-fed, well-groomed young men, namely, guards, the investigator, the prosecutor and the judge, were all at war on one young woman for the fact that she is a member of an allegedly 'undesirable organization'. Although it's clear to everyone that there are no proofs of undesirability thereof. What is happening with Anastasia is lawlessness and mockery of citizens. Until we are silent, they'll go on treating us like that," Valentina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 2, 2019 at 09:12 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.