2010 Manezhnaya Square riot trials

The 2010 Manezhnaya Square riot trials resulted in verdicts against Igor Berezyuk, Kirill Unchuk and Ruslan Khubaev for violent clashes in Moscow.de Carbonnel Alissa Russian police arrest dozens at anti-govt rallies https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-protest-idUSLDE70U1K820110131 20 February 2016 Reuters 31 January 2011 Each was a member of The Other Russia party, and found guilty on charges such as inciting hatred and organizing the December 11, 2010 Manezhnaya Square riots. Berezyuk was also charged with assaulting a police officer.Manezh Square Riot Suspects Appear in Court http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2011/8/article/manezh-square-riot-suspects-appear-in-court/441958.html The Moscow Times Moscow Times 20 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160220175351/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2011/8/article/manezh-square-riot-suspects-appear-in-court/441958.html 20 February 2016 12 August 2011 Human rights groups have argued that the three are political prisoners, and that their imprisonment is chiefly the result of their involvement in the unregistered Russian opposition party, Other Russia.The List of Persons Recognized as Political Prisoners by Russia's Memorial Human Rights Center 22 January 2014 http://imrussia.org/en/projects/political-prisoners/649-the-list-of-persons-recognized-as-political-prisoners-by-russias-memorial-human-rights-center https://web.archive.org/web/20151221225756/http://imrussia.org/en/projects/political-prisoners/649-the-list-of-persons-recognized-as-political-prisoners-by-russias-memorial-human-rights-center 21 December 2015Moscow extends arrest of "The Other Russia" activist accused of Manege Square disorders http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/16876/ 20 February 2016 Caucasian Knot Caucasian Knot 25 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20160220183347/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/16876/ 20 February 2016 Events at Manezhnaya Square 2010 Manezhnaya Square riots thumb|Manezhnaya Square, Moscow The charges against the group relate to an incident on December 11, 2010, when football fans and local minorities clashed in a violent conflict that injured 32 people. Both groups, over 5,000-50,000 people, arrived at Manezhnaya square a week after football fan Yegor Sviridov was killed.Seven persons out of the list of political prisoners did not get into "Medvedev's list" http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/20319/ Caucasian Knot Caucasian Knot https://web.archive.org/web/20120601165708/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/20319/ 1 June 2012 That case inflamed nationalist sentiment after the party involved in his murder were identified as five Dagestanis, and that the Russian authorities had released four from custody. Jury Rules Death That Started Race Riots Was Murder News http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/446010.html The Moscow Times 21 October 2011 2016-02-20 The Manezhnaya Square riots rose in the wake of that case, as protests from nationalist groups and counter-protesters clashed. Shortly thereafter, Russian authorities raided the offices of Other Russia, which human rights organizations have flagged as a biased measure, claiming it selectively prosecuted the leftist party while ignoring the responsibility of right-wing nationalist organizations. Arrests and trials Igor Berezyuk Berezyuk, a citizen of Belarus and a member of the Other Russia party, was arrested in a series of raids on that party's office and party member's apartments in January 2011, the night before a planned opposition rally in Triumph Square, Moscow.Police make raids, arrests before Moscow rally https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/russia/police-make-raids-arrests-before-moscow-rally-96012.html 20 February 2016 Reuters Kyiv Post 31 January 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20160220180615/https://www.kyivpost.com/article/content/russia/police-make-raids-arrests-before-moscow-rally-96012.html 20 February 2016 11 other party members were detained and released. The Russian state had called for restrictions on public demonstrations following the outbreak of violent clashes between nationalists and minority groups. He was sentenced to eight years in a prison camp. This was reduced by three months after an appeal in 2012.Moscow City Court reduces sentences for riots in Manege Square http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/20571/ 20 February 2016 Caucasian Knot Caucasian Knot https://web.archive.org/web/20120902112529/http://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/20571/ 2 September 2012 At the trial, Berezyuk was identified by a witness as having struck an officer during the riot, a charge to which Berezyuk plead partially guilty.Buslavskaya Julia Three defendants on case of riots at Manege Square in Moscow plead partially guilty http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18294/ 20 February 2016 Caucasian Knot https://web.archive.org/web/20160220200016/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18294/ 20 February 2016 However, no witness was on hand to verify that Berezyuk was an organizer of the riot. Buslavskaya Julia http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18515/ 20 February 2016 Caucasian Knot Caucasian Knot 29 September 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20160220200219/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18515/ 20 February 2016 Witness fails to identify defendant at trial on Manege Square riots During the raids on Other Russia party headquarters in which Berezyuk was apprehended, police also seized "computer cases, notebooks, a printer, speech amplifying devices and telephones," and "leaflets and posters carrying Other Russia and Strategy 31 emblems and posters with the emblem of the banned National Bolshevik Party".Other Russia activist detained in connection with Manezh events - Investigative Committee Interfax Interfax 31 January 2011 bwh 57723416 Ruslan Khubaev Khubaev was sentenced to four and a half years in a prison camp. This sentence was reduced by two months after an appeal in 2012 and he was released from prison on January 23, 2015. Human rights groups noted that during the trial, no witness was able to identify him as a participant or organizer of the riots. Khubaev had been arrested previously for organizing protests against military conscription. In that trial, his arrest was combined with drug charges, and sentenced to 4.5 years. However, that case was appealed to the European Court of Human Rights. He was released in 2010, and returned to political activity as an organizer of the Murmansk chapter of "The Other Russia." Kirill Unchuk Kirill Unchuk was a known political activist, and had previously received a suspended prison sentence in 2008 for occupying a Foreign Ministry building.The Other Russia reports detention of its activists Interfax Interfax 24 March 2011 bwh 59583443 Unchuk was sentenced to three years in a prison camp and was released on March 21, 2014. As with the rest of the Other Russia defendants, no witness was able to identify him as a participant or organizer of the riots. Leonid Panin and Alexander Kozevin Panin and Kozevin were arrested on similar charges and tried simultaneously. The two were not members of Other Russia. Unlike the others, the two apologized in court,Buslavskaya Julia Trial on riots in Manege Square starts questioning the defendants http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18616/ 20 February 2016 Caucasian Knot Caucasian Knot https://web.archive.org/web/20160220201508/http://eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/18616/ 20 February 2016 and did not seek appeals to higher courts on the grounds of being denied a fair trial.Convict appeals 2010 football riots sentence http://www.rapsinews.com/news/20130109/266006150.html Russian Legal Information Agency 9 January 2013 RAPSI 20 February 2016 International response The Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners and the Memorial Human Rights Center of Russia (Memo) have declared the Other Russia arrests politically motivated and declared the three to be political prisoners. Memo asserts the trio are political prisoners owing to the selective nature of their prosecution. The group notes that while Other Russia is a left-leaning, anti-nationalist group, Russian nationalist protesters were present at the same rally. Memo asserts that the absence of arrests from nationalist groups from the same rally shows an inconsistency in applying charges, tantamount to selective persecution.Манежное дело (Manege Case) http://memo.ru/d/3040.html Memo.ru Memorial Human Rights Center of Russia 20 February 2016 Russian 22 February 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160222224151/http://memo.ru/d/3040.html dead The trio appealed its case to the European Court of Human Rights in 2012. The court accepted the case that same year. The most recent reports on that review show the case is still being evaluated.ECHR requests additional materials in Moscow riots case http://rapsinews.com/judicial_news/20121119/265425575.html rapsinews.com 19 November 2012 Russian Legal Information Agency 20 February 2016 Russian officials have stated that there is no state process for convicting a person for a political crime. There are no political prisoners in Russia - Moscow City Court chair Russia & FSU General News Interfax 5 March 2014 1 bwh 94780586 Putin denies existence of political prisoners in Russia Interfax Russia & FSU General News 31 August 2012 1 bwh 78205886 The Moscow Helsinki Group, the oldest human rights organization in Russia, argue that while there are no laws against political crimes, there have been cases of politically motivated charges. Russia has political prisoners - Moscow Helsinki Group chairman Interfax Interfax: Russia & CIS Military Newswire 3 September 2013 bwh 90077829 References Category:Anti-Caucasus sentiment in Russia Category:Russian prisoners and detainees Category:Political repression in Russia Category:Human rights abuses in Russia Category:Trials in Russia Category:2010 in Russia