Russian Supreme Court orders review of conviction for repost
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 28 February 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Russian Supreme Court orders review of conviction for repost, 28 February 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5975a5bc13.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 28, 2017
Yevgenia Chudnovets
Russia's Supreme Court has ordered a lower court to review the case of a kindergarten teacher who was imprisoned for reposting a child-abuse video in what she said was an innocent effort to raise awareness.
The high court said on February 28 that it had sent the case against Yevgenia Chudnovets back to the trial court in the Kurgan region.
Chudnovets was convicted and sentenced to six months in prison in November for disseminating the graphic video on social media in August, despite her explanation that she was trying draw attention to the incident it depicted.
The reposting of the video helped police catch a man and woman who were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of three and six years, respectively.
After an upsurge of public support for Chudnovets, Deputy Prosecutor-General Leonid Korzhinek asked the Supreme Court to cancel the verdict and drop the charge against Chudnovets.
It was not immediately clear whether Chudnovets would be released pending a new ruling.
It was the second time in less than two weeks that the Supreme Court has voided a conviction in a high-profile case.
On February 22, the court granted a request from prosecutors to throw out the conviction of Ildar Dadin, an activist tried under a controversial antiprotest law who claimed he was tortured in prison.
Based on reporting by RIA Novosti and MK
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
