![]() Amnesty International has issued an 'Urgent Action' notice on the case calling on the Russian authorities to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression for all persons in Russia, and to review Ekaterina Vologzheninova’s conviction, ensuring that it is overturned, as she is being prosecuted solely for exercising her right to freedom of expression. Amnesty International has also stated that Ekaterina Vologzheninova's name must be immediately removed from the official List of Terrorists and Extremists held by Rosfinmonitoring (the official Russian agency which combats money laundering and terrorism funding) - and that her bank account and cards must be unblocked. In the same statement Amnesty International notes an increase in the number of Internet users prosecuted for the peaceful expression of critical views on Russia’s current politics under Article 280 of the Criminal Code (“public calls to commit extremist activities”) and Article 282 (“publicly inciting hatred or enmity as well as denigrating human dignity”). The organization says that criminal sanctions for private social media posts is an excessive and disproportionate punishment under international human rights standards, infringing on the right to freedom of expression. Photo: RFE/RL (Denis Prorubov) Sources: Halya Coynash, 'Russian convicted of ’inciting enmity’ for criticizing Putin’s war against Ukraine, Human Rights in Ukraine, 22 February 2016 RUSSIAN FEDERATION: FURTHER INFORMATION: GOVERNMENT CRITIC CRIMINALLY CONVICTED: YEKATERINA VOLOGZHENINOVA, Amnesty International, 26 February 2016 |
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