Opposition activist Navalny facing criminal case in Moscow over libeling WWII veteran - Investigative Committee
MOSCOW. June 15 (Interfax) - Moscow investigators have opened a criminal case against opposition activist Alexei Navalny over making libelous statements about Great Patriotic War veteran Ignat Artemenko, the press service for the city branch of the Russian Investigative Committee said.
"The Investigative Committee's main investigative department for Moscow has opened a criminal case against Navalny. He is suspected of libel, i.e., disseminating knowingly false information in a public speech, denigrating the honor and dignity of another person, and undermining his reputation (Part 2 of Article 128 of the Russian Criminal Code)," the press service said in a statement shared with Interfax on Monday.
According to investigators, "a video that shows Great Patriotic War veteran Ignat Artemenko expressing his stance on the amendments to the Constitution of the Russian Federation was published on one of the federal information resources."
"It has been established that on June 2, 2020, Navalny published this video on his pages on social networks, also posting a comment that contained knowingly false information denigrating Artemenko's honor and dignity," it said.
Investigators believe that "in such a way, Navalny sought to distribute this libelous information within a wide circle of people."
"Investigators are currently working to establish all circumstances of what happened," the press service said.
"As part of review procedures, the order on opening a criminal case against Navalny on a count of libel, i.e., disseminating knowingly false information in a public speech, denigrating the honor and dignity of another person, and undermining his reputation (Part 2 of Article 128 of the Russian Criminal Code) was examined and ruled legal," the Moscow Prosecutor's Office told Interfax.
This article does not envision punishment in the form of incarceration, it said.
"This article carries penalties such as a fine [of up to one million rubles] or community service [of up to 240 hours]. The Prosecutor's Office of the capital is monitoring the progress and the results of the criminal investigation handled by the Russian Investigative Committee's Main Investigative Department for the city of Moscow," it said.
