Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he did not want to question the court ruling that found Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov guilty of calling for unauthorized rallies in Moscow.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th December, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that he did not want to question the court ruling that found Russian human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov guilty of calling for unauthorized rallies in Moscow."You have asked me about Lev Ponomaryov. We discussed this question at a meeting with human rights activists that was part of the [Presidential] Council [for Civil Society and Human Rights] ... In the case of Ponomaryov, the court issued a ruling over his calls for unauthorized rallies. I do not want to question a decision of a judicial institution," Putin said at a news conference.
During the human rights council meeting on December 11, Putin said in regard to the Ponomaryov case that calls for unauthorized rallies may lead to events similar to violent "yellow vest" protests in Paris.
Ponomaryov was detained in October outside the central building of the Russian Federal Security Service in Moscow at a rally in support of members of the Novoe Velichie movement, which has been accused of extremism. On December 5, a Moscow court sentenced Ponomaryov to 25 days of administrative detention for repeated violations of rules on organizing rallies. On December 7, the court shortened the jail time to 16 days.
