Ilya Yashin, a Moscow politician and Alexey Navalny’s ally, has been taken into custody over a new criminal procedure for “spreading fake news about the Russian army,” a newsperson for Novaya Gazeta. Europe reports from the courtroom.
Natalia Dudar, the judge, ruled to take Yashin into custody until 12 September. The motion of Yashin’s defence to opt for a different pre-trial procedure was dismissed.
Yashin was detained for 15 days on 28 June. According to Yashin, he was sitting on a park bench with his friend Irina Babloyan, when he was approached by three police officers and “quietly brought to their car with the letter Z on the windshield”. Yashin was scheduled to be released yesterday, but a criminal procedure was initiated against him on the same day, and he was taken to see his house searched before being sent to a pre-trial detention centre via court ruling.
