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Left Front leader released from hospital to face trial in Ulyanovsk

Udaltsov was detained on May 9 in downtown Moscow, where the opposition was trying to hold an open-ended open-air action

MOSCOW, May 15 (Itar-Tass) —— Sergei Udaltsov, the coordinator of the opposition Left Front, who was sentenced to an 15-day administrative arrest for disobeying police orders during an action on May 9 and later hospitalized over worsened health condition, has been released from hospital, Udaltsov’s lawyer Nikolai Polozov told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“Doctors have promptly discharged Udaltsov from hospital and now he is being taken back to the detention ward,” he said. According to the lawyer, the hurry can be explained by the fact that Udaltsov was summoned to a court in the city of Ulyanovsk, where he is accused of beating a journalist. “I believe he has been discharged from hospital so quickly to be convoyed to Ulyanovsk, although I have no official confirmation,” Polozov noted.

According to the lawyer, while in hospital, Udaltsov suspended his hunger strike but now “he has told me over the phone that he would resume the hunger strike.”

Sergei Udaltsov was detained on May 9 near the Patriarshiye Prudy ponds in downtown Moscow, where the opposition was trying to hold an open-ended open-air action. The court of justice found him guilty of disobeying lawful orders of police officers (article 19.3 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offence) and sentenced him to 15 days in custody, the maximal term. After that, Udaltsov declared a dry hunger strike and was hospitalized after feeling worse.

Along with that, Udaltsov was brought to criminal liability on beating up chargers. On April 21, during the authorized anti-NATO rally in Ulyanovsk a 20-year-old local woman, who introduced herself as a free-lance correspondent of a media outlet, turned to the police with a petition about her being beaten up. The young woman said that Sergei Udaltsov, who participated in the action, inflicted bodily wounds to her. An inquiry was conducted over her petition. The detectives found the event of crime in the actions of Udaltsov under Article 111 Part 1 of the Russian Criminal Code for battery and other forcible actions. On April 23, the petition of the injured party and the materials of the inquiry were submitted to the court of justice and the criminal case was opened. On May 12, the court of justice ruled to have Udaltsov involuntarily summoned to court since he had skipped the previous court session. Instead, he sent a copy of a sick leave. The court ruled that Udaltsov was deliberately evading the trial and took a decision to bring him to court compulsorily at 08:00 Moscow time on May 16.