Source: Memorial Human Rights Centre

On December 22, 2015 Ivan Nepomnyashchikh, a 25-year-old engineer, by a decision of judge at the Zamoskvoretsky district court of Moscow Alexei Kaveshnikov, was sentenced to two-and-a-half years of imprisonment in a general-regime colony. 

Nepomnyashchikh, in connection with the events of May 6, 2012 on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, was found guilty by the court under part 2 of article 212 of the Criminal Code (participating in mass riots) and part 1 of article 318 (using non-dangerous force against a representative of the authorities). 

The Memorial human rights centre considered and still considers the entire large Bolotnaya case and the sentences issued under it to be unjust and unfounded. We are certain that the events of May 6, 2012 had no signs of mass riots, and the proof of the defendants’ guilt in using force against police officers was based on crude falsifications, and also on a biased and one-sided investigation. 

All this is also fully applicable to the sentence passed on Ivan Nepomnyashchikh. Along with the testimony of the police “victims” the court cynically justified the verdict with videos thanks to which any person could independently convince themselves that the defendant did not commit the actions of which he was accused. 

The Memorial human rights centre considers Ivan Nepomnyashchikh a political prisoner and demands the immediate and unconditional release of both him and the other Bolotnaya prisoners who remain in prison or in custody.