French citizen detained in Moscow for taking part in unauthorized rally
MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) - The Timiryazevsky District Court of Moscow will review on Thursday an administrative offence report drawn up against French citizen Cyril Danelu, who was detained on February 2 during an unauthorized rally in support of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny.
"The court did not hold its session today [February 3]. It has been postponed until tomorrow [February 4]. Cyril Danelu, like all other detained persons, was returned to the Zapadnoye Degunino police station," Open Russia opposition group legal coordinator Alexei Pryanishnikov told Interfax on Wednesday.
In a separate development, a court on Wednesday imposed a 15,000-ruble fine on Syrian citizen Mohammad Jaaraf, who was detained in the center of Moscow for taking part in an unpermitted rally.
Administrative protocols were compiled against the aforementioned persons for participating in an unauthorized assembly, rally, or procession which obstructed vehicle or pedestrian traffic.
Such an offence carries a penalty in the form of a fine of between 10,000 rubles and 20,000 rubles or administrative arrest of up to 15 days.
Danelu himself told Interfax before the court session that he did not attend any demonstration, but accidentally ended up where one was being held after leaving a bar.
"I ended up at the demonstration by pure accident. I was in a bar and then decided to take a stroll from Pushkinskaya toward the city center. I think I was detained near Novokuznetskaya. I wasn't taking part in the rally. I just went to see where people were heading. I often visit Russia. That's why I speak Russian well," Danelu said.
Danelu said that he is a geographer by profession and specializes in geopolitics. He was supposed to return to Paris on February 3.
"I hope I'll be sentenced to a fine and will be able to leave," he said.
According to Danelu, Syrian citizen Jaaraf, whose case was heard on Wednesday, speaks no Russian.
"I translated everything into English for him. He told me that he also ended up at the site of the rally by accident and walked up to riot police officers to ask them for directions to the Okhotny Ryad metro station, but he didn't know that they weren't ordinary police. He was detained," Danelu said.
