Russia: Ilia Iachine, one of the last opposition figures, arrested in Moscow

Opponent Ilya Iachine, one of the last Russian opposition figures still in Russia and free, was arrested in Moscow on Monday.

AFP - ALEXANDER NEMENOV

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Opponent Ilya Iachine, one of the last Russian opposition figures still in Russia and free, was arrested in Moscow.

This was indicated on Tuesday, June 28 by his lawyer Vadim Prokhorov.

Advertising

Read more

According to the information at my disposal, he is accused of disobeying police orders

 ", an offense punishable by 15 days in prison, wrote Vadim Prokhorovk, Ilya Yashin's lawyer on Facebook, while indicating that he was not allowed to see his client.

According to him, a Moscow court could decide this Tuesday on the fate of Ilia Yachine: incarceration, semi-freedom, release or house arrest.

The opponent was arrested on Monday while walking in a Moscow park, his friend, journalist Irina Babloïan, who was with him, said on Telegram.

“ 

They say he allegedly insulted the police and used swear words during the arrest.

This is not true 

, ”assured the journalist, witness to the arrest.

An opposition figure since the great anti-Kremlin movement

Ilia Iachine has been a prominent figure for years in

the opposition

, especially during the great anti-Kremlin movement of 2011-2012.

He was close to

Alexeï Navalny

, the number one opponent in the Kremlin, who is now serving a nine-year prison sentence, and

Boris Nemtsov

, who was assassinated in 2015. He is now an elected opposition member in a Moscow Municipal District and denounced Russia's military offensive against Ukraine.

The repression of all anti-Kremlin movements and independent media in Russia has increased since this attack.

The Russian authorities have notably equipped themselves with a legal arsenal to allow the imposition of sentences of up to 15 years in prison on those who denounce the offensive against Ukraine.

Already before that, personalities critical of the Kremlin and the independent media were subject to administrative or judicial harassment.

To read: Russia: Vladimir Kara-Mourza, opponent of Putin, against all odds

(with

AFP

)

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Russia

  • Vladimir Poutine

  • Alexei Navalny

  • Human rights