Sochi woman placed under house arrest for damaging ballot papers

A court in Sochi has placed a 62-year-old woman under house arrest until May 15, accusing her of an attempt to spoil ballots with some dye.

On March 15, at a polling station in Sochi, the above woman poured the dye into the ballot box. She was detained under a criminal case of obstructing the exercise of voting rights.

Attempts to spoil ballots were a manifestation of protest sentiments, Sergey Zhavoronkov, a political analyst, is sure. The participants in the incidents were victims of intimidation and fraud, Mikhail Benyash*, a lawyer, has argued.

Earlier, Ella Pamfilova, the Chair of the Russian Central Election Commission, has treated those who pour dyes into ballot boxes as bastards, the TASS reports.

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