Alexey Gorinov, 60, a municipal deputy from Moscow and an activist was arrested in April after criticising the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in a city council meeting – vetoing a discussion on child activities in Moscow, because at the same time children in Ukraine are dying caused by the Russian military activities. In the meeting he said:
“How can we talk about a children’s drawing contest for Children’s Day, or organizing dance recitals for Victory Day when there are children dying every day?” Gorinov asked his colleagues at the meeting.
“For you information, I will say that nearly 100 children have already died in Ukraine, and that every day, more children are being orphaned. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of World War II survivors have been thrown into the fire of these combat operations. I believe that all of the efforts of our civil society should be directed exclusively at stopping the war and getting the Russian troops out of Ukraine.”
See the excerpt where Mr. Gorinov speaks to this here:
Gorinov faced charges for spreading “false information” about the Russian Armed Forces about a month after his remarks in the public meeting, which was also available on YouTube. The authorities launched a criminal case against him on April 25 and Gorinov was indicted on May 1. He may be the first case where the new law against spreading so-called false information and discrediting the army has been applied.
Municipal Deputy Elena Kotenochkina supported Gorinov’s speech during the meeting, and investigators later brought analogous charges against her for disseminating “false information.” According to Gorinov’s lawyer, the indictment accuses the two deputies of being part of a “prior criminal conspiracy,” developing a “plan for perpetrating crimes,” and choosing “criminal roles” for themselves to play.
Kotenochkina and Gorinov stand accused of publicly discrediting Russian troops, “using [their] official positions.” The deputies were supposedly “motivated by political hatred” and “anticipating the inevitable, socially-dangerous consequences” of their actions. The authorities allege that they knew their actions would lead to “alarm, fear, anxiety, and defenselessness on the part of the state.”
Gorinov received a prison sentence of 7 years for this act of civil courage.
Judge Olesya Mendeleyeva ruled he had carried out his crime “based on political hatred” and had misled Russians, prompting them to “feel anxiety and fear” about the military campaign.
Recording of how Russian public applauded him during the announcement of the verdict. Authentic moments from a Russian court of injustice.