 The same day (10 March 2017) the Supreme Court disclosed its reasons for acquitting Ildar Dadin, the first person convicted of repeated violations of protest laws. As RAPSI reported, the Supreme Court "explained that the article of the Criminal Code prohibiting violations of protest laws excludes the possibility of criminal prosecution if at the time of the crime there were no active court rulings regarding administrative liability of a defendant. These rulings have to be issued at least three times in a period of 180 days. When Dadin became a defendant in a criminal case back in December 2014 rulings regarding administrative violations had not yet come into full force, meaning that there were no legal grounds to state that Dadin had violated legislation several times." Earlier, on 7 March 2017 reports said Ildar Dadin had filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights against his conviction. As RAPSI reported, Dadin's lawyer, Kseniya Kostromina, said the appeal had been filed soon after the ruling of the Presidium of the Supreme Court acquitted Dadin on 22 February 2017, overturning his 2.5-year prison sentence and ordering that he be released. The Supreme Court ruled that the criminal proceedings against Dadin be dismissed on the grounds of the absence of a crime in his actions. On 10 February, the Constitutional Court had held that Dadin’s case should be reviewed, while upholding the constitutionality of the law under which Dadin was convicted. Sources 'Russian Activist Ildar Dadin Detained Again in Moscow,' The Moscow Times, 10 March 2017 'Activist Ildar Dadin Briefly Detained By Moscow Police,' RFE/RL, 10 March 2017'Russian Supreme Court discloses reasons for Dadin’s release,' RAPSI, 10 March 2017 'Russian opposition activist Dadin files appeal with ECHR over imprisonment,' RAPSI, 7 March 2017 |
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