In the Kuibyshevsky Court of St. Petersburg, testimonies of prosecution witnesses were heard in the case of “discrediting” the army against activist Elena Abramova. The reason for the criminal prosecution was Abramova's participation in a protest on June 4, 2023. At that time, she stood at Gostiny Dvor with a poster “Freedom for Navalny! Freedom for all political prisoners! No to war!”
As reported by a SOTAvision* correspondent from the courtroom, the first prosecution witness was police officer Denis Generalsky, who detained Abramova. According to him, the activist also had a second poster with the inscription “Peace without war. Russia without Putin.” The policeman said he detained Abramova due to a ban on pickets because of anti-COVID restrictions.
The law enforcement officer informed the court that he took Abramova to the station because they did not have forms to process an administrative offense on the spot, which is illegal. “What was I supposed to do, let the offender go?” the policeman responded to the defense's question about the legality of his methods.
Next, witness Anna Medvedeva, who conducted a psychological-linguistic examination of Abramova's posters, testified in court. The linguist was supposed to establish that the word “war” on the activist's poster implied a “special operation” in Ukraine.
According to Medvedeva's examination, Abramova's posters “were created in the context of conducting the SVO,” and this is the main topic that currently concerns society.
In response to the lawyer's remark that the highest state officials have long referred to the “SVO” as a war, the expert replied that she “didn't hear that.”
When asked about whom, how, and to what the phrase “No to war” calls, the second expert Natalia Kaleva replied that “the very genre of the poster implies seeking like-minded people.” According to her, the exclamation marks at the end of each phrase indicate an emotional and motivational tone of the phrases.
The St. Petersburg activist and translator Elena Abramova has repeatedly staged solo pickets with anti-war slogans and calls to release political prisoners. After the picket in June 2024, a criminal case was initiated against her for repeated “discrediting” of the Russian army. Abramova is under a restriction of certain actions.
* Recognized in Russia as a “foreign agent” and “undesirable” organization.
Photo: MR7