Mitrokhin's 150,000 ruble fine ruling in effect, to be appealed at ECHR
MOSCOW. Feb 18 (Interfax) - Moscow City Court has upheld the 150,000 ruble fine imposed on Yabloko Party's former Moscow chief Sergei Mitrokhin after his arrest at a protest against a development project in Kuntsevo district.
"Today, Moscow City Court examined my appeal against the fine of 150,000 rubles and left the [lower court's] ruling unchanged. In the meantime, I have already raised this money via social media so, naturally, I will pay. I will; however, appeal against the ruling at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)," Mitrokhin told Interfax on Monday.
According to Mitrokhin, he "did not do anything even remotely reminiscent of any sort of violation." "There was no rally, no picket - nothing. It was just a meeting between people who were outraged by the construction of a fence right beside their house, after which everything on the other side of the fence - dozens of trees, playgrounds - were cut, felled and destroyed," he said.
"The court's decision absolutely does not reflect what happened on September 12, so I will, in being fully conscious of my innocence, be turning to the ECHR," Mitrokhin said.
On November 29, 2018, Mitrokhin said that he and three other activists had been fined 150,000 rubles each by Kuntsevo district court after the September 12 protest. The court found them guilty of repeat violation of protest rules.
Mitrokhin recalled being apprehended during the protest. "I came to the meeting at the residents' request to discuss what action should be taken. There were no placards, no hardware, no signs of an 'assembly' as the court referred to it," he said.