All news

Court to review appeal against arrest in Bolotnaya Square riots case on June 27

The lawyers asked to change custody of their clients to bail

MOSCOW, June 7 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow City Court on June 27 will review the lawyers' appeal against the arrest of Andrei Barabanov and Maxim Luzyanin, who are defendants in the case over mass disturbances in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square on May 6, spokeswoman for the Basmanny court Yekaterina Korotova told Itar-Tass.

"The Court will review the appeals at 11:45 and 11:55, Moscow time, respectively," Korotova said.

The lawyers asked to change custody of their clients to bail. On May 30, the Basmanny court sanctioned the arrest of the two young persons. Alexandra Dukhanina, 18, another participant in people's stroll, is under house arrest.

All the defendants have been charged with participation in mass disturbances and use of violence on police. The articles envision a maximum penalty of eight and ten years in jail, respectively.

The investigators said the defendants were trying to break a police cordon and beat up officers. Barabanov partially admitted his guilt, and Luzyanin pleaded guilty to all the charges. Dukhanina claimed she was innocent.

Andrei Barabanov, who is unemployed, and Maxim Luzyanin, who has a conviction and owns several companies in the Moscow region /he is also a co-founder of a Moscow region restaurant/ were detained on May 28.

The investigators said Barabanov, 21, had called for riots and disobeying police. He took actions towards "psychological and physical violence on a police officer." Luzyanin knocked an OMON special task police office to the ground while Barabanov was punching and kicking him, they said.

The court also cited the fact that the youngster was unemployed and had extensive connections among football fans and anarchists and that he could use them to escape the investigators or put pressure on witnesses and injured parties.

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 clashed with police officers and ripped off their protective headgear. More than 400 persons were detained on that day. Some 30 police were injured.