All news

Moscow court sanctions arrest of Bolotnaya Square rioter

Announcing the decision, the court noted that there were no reasons for a softer measure of restraint

MOSCOW, May 30 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow's Basmanny court on Wednesday sanctioned the first arrest in the case over mass disturbances in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square on May 6.

The court met the investigator's petition and put Maxim Luzyanin in custody for two months. Announcing the decision, the court noted that there were no reasons for a softer measure of restraint. Detaining Luzanin was a legitimate act, as he is suspected of the commission of an offense punished by over two years in jail.

Judge Olga Solopova pointed out that Luzynain had offered active resistance to police and that the latter had to use their unarmed combat skills against him.

"Luzyanin has considerable funds derived from the sale of an expensive car, so he can escape the investigator. If at large, he can coordinate his position with unidentified persons or put pressure on witnesses and injured parties," the court said in a resolution.

The prosecutor supported the investigation’s petition for the suspect's arrest.

The investigator said although Luzyanin had been masked during the march, eyewitnesses had been able to identify him.

Luzyanin maintained he could not recognize himself in the photos attached to the criminal case as evidence. He did not deny his participation in the Mary 6 protests, and that he was in the thick of the action and found himself in the group of the Opposition activists whom the police were driving back.

He also said he was innocent and objected to the charges. The defendant said he had no plans to escape from the investigators and pledged to turn up at their office on first demand. The decision on his arrest will be appealed against, he said.

Earlier, Maxim Luzyanin was given a suspended sentence for extortion. He owns several companies in the Moscow region /he is also a co-founder of a Moscow region restaurant/. Luzyanin was detained on May 28.

The court will also consider the arrest of another defendant, Andrei Barabanov.

They are suspected of the commission of the crimes envisioned by Article 212, Part 1, 2, and 3, and Article 318, Part 1 /"using violence on government representative"/ of Russia's penal code.

On May 6, part of the participants in the "March of Millions" walking from Bolshaya Yakimanka to Bolotnaya Square, demanded that police open a parkway, and attempted to break through the police cordon. Some were throwing bottles and fires at police, and when law-enforcers tried to detain them, offered resistance and ripped off police officers' protective headgear. More than 400 persons were detained on that day. Some 30 police were injured.