A court in the Russian city of Perm has sentenced a local street musician to 60 hours of community service for holding an outdoor concert in support of the detained St. Petersburg street band Stoptime, activists reported Thursday.
Yekaterina Romanova helped organize an Oct. 22 concert to show solidarity with Stoptime and was detained last Saturday, the day a second concert was originally scheduled to be held.
Romanova is serving a 7-day jail sentence for allegedly refusing to take a drug test, a charge her lawyer said was fabricated.
Perm’s Leninsky District Court found Romanova guilty of “organizing a mass gathering in a public place that disrupted public order” and handed 60 hours of community service, said local activist Artyom Faizulin.
“However absurd this sounds, this is a relatively mild punishment, and one she can almost be congratulated on in today’s reality,” Faizulin wrote on Telegram.
He said Romanova is expected to walk free this Saturday, barring any repeat arrests.
The sentence comes amid a wave of police actions against musicians and supporters of Stoptime, whose members were arrested and handed successive back-to-back jail sentences last month for performing songs by artists labeled “foreign agents.”
The band’s arrest sparked a string of solidarity concerts and solo protests across Russian cities, a 100-person petition to the presidential administration demanding the bandmates’ release, as well as flyers posted across St. Petersburg.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has designated The Moscow Times as an “undesirable” organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a “foreign agent.”
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work “discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership.” We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It’s quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you’re defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Continue
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.
×
Remind me next month
Thank you! Your reminder is set.
