The order of Russian President Vladimir Putin to verify the lawfulness of the verdict given to Moscow activist Konstantin Kotov, who was sentenced to four years in prison for repeated violations during unauthorized rallies, is connected with journalists' appeal and not with the reshuffle in the Prosecutor General's Office, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2020) The order of Russian President Vladimir Putin to verify the lawfulness of the verdict given to Moscow activist Konstantin Kotov, who was sentenced to four years in prison for repeated violations during unauthorized rallies, is connected with journalists' appeal and not with the reshuffle in the Prosecutor General's Office, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
On Saturday, the Kremlin press service said that Putin had ordered the Prosecutor General's Office to investigate whether the guilty verdict for Kotov had been lawful. In December 2019, Putin pledged during his annual press conference to look into the case of Kotov. According to Peskov, Putin's instruction regarding Kotov's case is "solely" connected with the fact that one of the journalists addressed this request to the president at the end of the annual press conference and asked the president to "pay special attention to the case."
"The president promised that he would do it. The president always fulfills his promises, therefore, the prosecutor's office received the order in the wording that is set out on the president's website," Peskov said, adding that the order was not linked to the reshuffle in the Prosecutor General's Office.
The presidential spokesman added that there were no instructions to review the case.
Kotov was detained shortly after an unauthorized demonstration in downtown Moscow on August 10. In September, a Moscow court sentenced him to four years in a general regime penal colony, citing his repeated violations at rallies.
The defendant pleaded not guilty and appealed the ruling.
