MOSCOW, March 13 (Itar-Tass) – The Moscow City Court on Wednesday upheld the in-absentia arrest of Georgian politician Givi Targamadze, accused of planning riots in Russia.
The court thereby turned down the defense's appeal. "The court has ruled to leave the Basmanny Court's resolution unchanged, and turn down the petition of the defense," a court representative said.
On February 21,the Basmanny court sanctioned the in-absentia arrest of Targamadze. As the politician is hiding in Georgia, he was put on the international wanted list by Interpol Russia.
Other suspects in the case are Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov, his aide Konstantin Lebedev and lawmaker's aide Leonid Razvozzhayev. The Russian Investigative Committee is also checking Targamadze for involvement in funding mass disturbances in Russia.
Criminal proceedings were instituted over the facts shown in the Anatomy of Protest-2 film, which featured a scene where suspects were discussing the possibility to stage riots in Moscow and Russian regions and foreign sources of funding.
The meeting, captured by a spycam, took place in Minsk, and involved chairman of the Georgian parliament's committee for defense and security Givi Targamadze, Georgia's consul in Moldova Mikhail Iashvili, their three aides, as well as Udaltsov, Lebedev and Razvozzhayev.
On January 10, the Investigative Committee pooled this case with the case over mass disturbances in Moscow's Bolotnaya Square.