The Central District Court of Komsomolsk-on-Amur sentenced Natalya Ignatyeva to 5.5 years in a general regime colony, and Marina Tokareva to 2.5 years in a general regime colony, reports the publication «Govorite NeMoskva»*. The prosecution requested 8 and 3.5 years in a colony, respectively.
The women are accused of organizing and participating in the activities of an «extremist» community. They were detained in September 2023. According to the investigation, the women are connected with the party «Volya» of Svetlana Lada-Rus, recognized as extremist and liquidated. It is alleged that after the party's liquidation, they continued its activities and organized the «People's Union for the Revival of Russia» to restore the USSR.
The support group said that in Komsomolsk, the women were engaged in organizing round dances, promoting Russian traditions, and during the coronavirus, they criticized the vaccination campaign organization, they themselves deny their connection with extremist organizations.
As a friend of the activists told «NeMoskva», the criminal case was initiated after a report by FSB provocateurs. One of them secretly recorded a video of a meeting where the activists discussed the persecution of Svetlana Lada-Rus. Also, a book about the party «Volya» was lying on the table.
«The evidence of our «guilt» is the hidden video recording by two people «helping» the security forces — Kropacheva and Pavlov, who admitted that there were no calls to join the party, no discussions about it either! They filmed how at the meeting THEY themselves asked for books where there was information about the party «VOLYA», THEY took them, THEY handed them over to the security forces», — Ignatyeva said.
As «NeMoskva» writes, the lawyers plan to appeal the verdict. About 60 people came to court to support Ignatyeva and Tokareva.
Svetlana Lada-Rus has been declared internationally wanted and arrested in absentia. In Russia, criminal cases have been initiated against her for fraud, causing grievous bodily harm, and creating a religious association that «harmed the health of citizens». In March 2023, she was recognized as a «foreign agent».
* Recognized as «foreign agents» in Russia.