About this case: Polina Barabash is charged with discrediting the Russian Armed Forces (Part 1 of Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). The defendant chained herself to the fence, and next to her was a Ukrainian flag with an anti-war slogan.
The case is being heard in the Smolninsky District Court of St. Petersburg, with Judge Ekaterina Vladimirovna Mezentseva presiding.
Our monitor reports on the April 19th hearing:
The secretary allowed people into the courtroom and left us alone with the defense attorney in an empty room. The judge entered the courtroom only after 15 minutes. Acoustic conditions in room 422 are poor due to its large size, and sound is not amplified.
In the courtroom, aside from me, there was only the defense attorney present. Barabash’s representative requested that the case be considered in the absence of the offender, which the judge granted.
The presiding judge avoided discussing the case details and started the hearing directly by giving the floor to the defense attorney. I learned the details later when the attorney showed several photos depicting Polina Barabash chained to the fence with a Ukrainian flag displaying an anti-war slogan nearby.
The defense attorney requested the presence of the police officers who detained Barabash and the prosecutor at the hearing, but the judge denied the request. The request for a linguistic expert examination was also rejected.
Barabash’s representative presented her position: Barabash had caused no harm to anyone. There was no administrative detention protocol. The defendant did not admit guilt. Barabash had no motive to discredit the Russian military. There were no mentions of Ukraine. According to the defense attorney, Barabash opposed war as a whole, not targeting any specific country’s armed forces. She argued that nobody had explained what specifically constituted the discrediting of the Russian military as opposed to any other country’s armed forces. She requested the case be terminated due to the absence of the elements of an administrative offense.
Judge Mezentseva examined the case materials, then left for the deliberation room and returned quickly.
The court found Polina Barabash guilty and imposed a fine of 30,000 rubles.
