A Moscow court has punished journalist and municipal deputy Ilya Azar with administrative detention.
According to NGO Apology of Protest, Azar has been found guilty of repeated violations of the law on rallies over his staging a single picket in support of Vladimir Vorontsov, the creator of public page Police’s Ombudsman.
In early May, Vorontsov was accused of extorting 300,000 rubles from a former police officer in exchange for not publishing personal photos which were eventually posted on the web. Later, a criminal case was initiated against Vorontsov for illegal sharing of pornographic materials. Vorontsov denies the charge and puts down his being criminally prosecuted to the authorities’ retaliation for his defending the labour rights of ordinary police officers.
In the summer of 2019, Ilya Azar was a participant and organiser of the protests in Moscow. He also holds weekly pickets of solidarity with Russian political prisoners.
