MOSCOW, August 11./TASS/. Valery Kostenok, a volunteer from the Yabloko party, has pled guilty to taking part in mass protests in central Moscow on July 27, his lawyer Konstantin Kuzmin told TASS on Sunday.
"He admits his guilt," the lawyer said, adding that investigative activity with the defendant continues. Thus, Kostenok has become the first of 14 suspects in a criminal investigation into mass protests to admit his guilt.
Earlier on Sunday, a law enforcement source told TASS that the Investigative Committee had charged Kostenok with taking part in mass rallies in Moscow on July 27 (Part 2 of Article 212 of the Russian Criminal Code). Kuzmin confirmed this information.
Kostenok has become the 14th person that the Russian Investigative Committee has charged in the wake of July 27 protests. Early on Sunday, investigators searched his apartment and later he was taken to the Investigative Committee for questioning. A video was uploaded to the Internet earlier, where he was seen throwing bottles at police officers.
Earlier reports said that twelve people had been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into mass protests and violence against law enforcement officers during the July 27 protests in Moscow. These are Yevgeny Kovalenko, Kirill Zhukov, Ivan Podkopayev, Samariddin Radjabov, Alexei Miniaylo, Yegor Zhukov, Daniil Konon, Vladislav Barabanov, Sergey Abanichev, Aidar Gubaidulin, Sergey Fomin and Danila Beglets.
Earlier on Sunday, Moscow’s Basmanny Court rejected a motion filed by the Investigative Committee on arresting director of Doctor TV channel Dmitry Vasilyev, who was earlier detained as part of the investigation into the protests.
Vasilyev was detained on Friday, becoming the 13th suspect in the criminal case. He was later urgently hospitalized from a pre-trial detention center after high blood sugar levels. The court rejected the motion, as the decision on the arrest can be taken without the defendant’s participation only if he or she is on the wanted list.
The July 27 rally drew about 3,000 participants, over 1,000 of whom were hauled off and 88 were put in custody. Ahead of the rallies, the authorities issued warnings saying that any violation of the law would lead to legal consequences and culpability.