The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation [5] on Feb. 11 annulled the two-and-a-half year prison sentence [6] of Ildar Dadin, who was the first person to be convicted under a new anti-protest law in 2015. Dadin was imprisoned under Article 212.1, a law that allows the Russian government to press criminal charges against anyone found to have serially participated in unsanctioned protests. According to case files, Dadin was arrested five times during rallies held between August 2014 and January 2015. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe [7] welcomed the news of the court's decision and urged the Russian government [8] to change its laws concerning freedom of assembly.
From Jurist [9], Feb. 22. Used with permission.
Note: An outspoken supporter of presecuted [10] Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny [11], Dadin regularly protested against President Vladimir Putin's infamous "gay propaganda [12]" law and Russian military action [13]. Last November he reported that he was tortured in prison [14]. (DW [15], BBC News [16])
