During the debates in the Kalininsky District Court of St. Petersburg, the prosecution requested eight years of imprisonment and a ban on website administration for four and a half years for political scientist Yevgeny Bestuzhev, prosecuted under the case of military «fakes», reports Sotavision*.
The lawyer asked to acquit his client or to impose a punishment not related to actual imprisonment, and also mentioned that Bestuzhev has grounds for release from serving the sentence due to a severe heart condition. Yevgeny Bestuzhev is 64 years old, he has coronary heart disease, and during his time in the pre-trial detention center, he suffered several heart attacks.
The St. Petersburg political scientist Yevgeny Bestuzhev was detained in October 2022. The man is accused of spreading «fakes» about the army in several posts on «VKontakte». Bestuzhev does not deny the fact of posting, but he does not consider the information he published to be «knowingly false».
Bestuzhev actively spoke out against the war in Ukraine on his social networks. On April 6, 2022, the administration of «VKontakte» blocked his profile.
In the debates, the prosecutor stated that Bestuzhev's guilt was fully proven, the protocols of the crime scene inspection and physical evidence are reliable evidence in the case. Experts, according to the prosecutor, had the appropriate qualifications, and the conclusions of their examination confirm the charges. The state prosecutor stated that Bestuzhev should have verified with the Ministry of Defense data, in which citizens «were informed» about the goals of the «SVO».
* Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.
Photo: Sotavision