Defence of Volgograd resident Igor Paskar promises to challenge verdict

Igor Paskar, a Volgograd resident, has been convicted for symbolic non-violent actions under the article on terror acts, which gives grounds to recognize him as a political prisoner, Sergey Davidis, a human rights defender, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the defence had disagreed with the qualification of the arson of a door rug as a terror act. Igor Paskar has stated that he had set fire to a rug near the FSB building in Krasnodar and a banner with the Z sign "at the behest of his conscience," and would not renounce his beliefs. The Southern District Military Court sentenced him to 8.5 years of freedom deprivation.

Felix Vertegel, Igor's advocate, said that the verdict against Igor Paskar would be appealed against.

Sergey Davidis, a lawyer with the Centre for the Protection of Human Rights, sees in the case grounds for recognizing Paskar as a political prisoner, since he was convicted on charges of terrorism for his symbolic actions. Mr Davidis has drawn attention to the fact that Paskar's actions were not accompanied by violence against people.

Paskar's case did not become indicative, so "the court did not rage"; the sentence on such a charge could be much more severe, Mikhail Benyash*, a lawyer, has noted.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.