Judge Metelyagin of the Zavyalovsky District Court of Udmurtia, Denis Metelyagin, found Talantov guilty under the article on spreading military 'fakes' motivated by 'political hatred' and sentenced him to seven years in a general regime colony and a four-year ban on administering websites, reported 'First Department'*. The prosecution requested 12 years in a colony for the lawyer. The court took into account the 3.5 years of imprisonment he had already served.
'We live in a totalitarian state. At least they didn't execute me,' commented lawyer Pavel Biyanov on the sentence.
Talantov himself said in his final statement that the 12 years requested by the prosecution, at his age of 64, is 'life imprisonment' or 'death penalty.' 'I'm not trying to scare anyone. Sometimes it seems to me that today it's not scary to die, today it's scary to live. But we must live, I'm sure of that, we must live,' said Talantov.
The reason for the criminal case against the former president of the Udmurtia Bar Association, Dmitry Talantov, was his anti-war posts on Facebook**. He was detained in June 2022, searches were conducted at his home and his relatives' homes, as well as in the office. 'First Department' found out that the witnesses at the search were former law enforcement officers.
Before his arrest, Talantov defended journalist Ivan Safronov, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison on charges of 'treason.' Before he joined the case, Safronov's previous defender also faced criminal prosecution.
On the eve of the sentence, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Russia Mariana Katzarova called for Dmitry Talantov's acquittal. She stated that expressing one's opinion, including disagreement with the war, is protected by international law.
* Recognized as a 'foreign agent' in Russia.
** Owner Facebook Meta recognized as an 'extremist' organization in Russia.
Photo: First Department