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Another suspect detained in criminal case over Moscow rallies, says source

11 August 2019 20:25 (UTC +04:00)

The Russian Investigative Committee has detained Valery Kostenok, a volunteer from the Yabloko party, within the framework of a criminal investigation into mass protests in central Moscow on July 27, a source close to the investigation told TASS on Sunday, APA reports citing TASS.

Kostenok has been escorted to the Investigative Committee for questioning, according to the source. "Valery Kostenok was detained and investigative activity is underway," the source said. "He is being questioned within the framework of a criminal case over mass riots on July 27," she said.

He has become the 14th person that the Russian Investigative Committee has charged in the wake of July 27 mass protests in Moscow. It is known that he was detained at the Moscow Mayor’s Office on July 27 and spent two days in the city’s Department of Internal Affairs.

Earlier reports said that twelve people had been arrested as part of a criminal investigation into mass protests and violence against law enforcement officers during the July 27 protests in Moscow. These are Yevgeny Kovalenko, Kirill Zhukov, Ivan Podkopayev, Samariddin Radjabov, Alexei Miniaylo, Yegor Zhukov, Daniil Konon, Vladislav Barabanov, Sergey Abanichev, Aidar Gubaidulin, Sergey Fomin and Danila Beglets.

Earlier on Sunday, Moscow’s Basmanny Court rejected a motion filed by the Investigative Committee on arresting director of Doctor TV channel Dmitry Vasilyev, who was earlier detained as part of the investigation into the July 27 protests.

Vasilyev was detained on Friday, becoming the 13th suspect in the criminal case. He was later urgently hospitalized from a pre-trial detention center after high blood sugar levels. The lawyer told TASS his client was suffering from type 1 diabetes.

Investigator Valeriya Bashayeva asked the court to delay the hearing due to the suspect’s absence. "Investigative actions against the suspect are forbidden now," she noted. Lawyer Alexander Zinurov insisted on carrying out medical examination and delaying the hearing for 72 hours.

According to Moscow police, about 600 people were detained in the Russian capital for participating in the unauthorized August 3 protest, which involved about 1,500. The July 27 rally drew about 3,000 participants, over 1,000 of whom were hauled off and 88 were put in custody. Ahead of the rallies, the authorities issued warnings saying that any violation of the law would lead to legal consequences and culpability.