Yekaterinburg, Russia, Aug 25 (AFP/APP): A Russian court on Thursday released opposition politician Yevgeny Roizman from custody as he awaits trial on charges of “discrediting” the Russian army.
One of the last opposition figures still in the country and not behind bars, the former mayor of the Urals city of Yekaterinburg was detained for his comments about Moscow’s military intervention in Ukraine.
A court in Yekaterinburg on Thursday ruled that Roizman will not be allowed to attend public events, use the internet, or send and receive letters, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
He is not allowed to communicate with witnesses in his case.
The court did not grant an investigators’ request to restrict Roizman from leaving his home.
Supporters applauded and chanted “Freedom!” as the opposition politician was escorted into the courtroom, an AFP journalist saw.
Wearing jeans and a pink T-shirt, Roizman was placed in the defendant’s cage for the duration of the hearing.
He said he was not guilty of the charges.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Roizman said that he had been given an electronic ankle tag to track his movements.
“It’s fine for now. However, the criminal case remains. Up to three years in jail on the charges. Everything is just getting started,” he said.
Roizman was detained in his home in Yekaterinburg on Wednesday when a dozen armed police in camouflage burst into his flat.
Police said Roizman was being charged for a video posted online, “the contents of which discredited the use of” the Russian armed forces.
He faces up to three years in jail.
Roizman has already been fined three times for criticising Russia’s offensive in Ukraine.
He was a lawmaker between 2003 and 2007. In 2013, he became Russia’s
highest-profile opposition mayor and held the position for five years.
Last year he was sentenced to nine days in jail for urging people to join demonstrations in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
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