A human rights activist from Komi received six years in prison for calling for the governor's murder
Andrei Ivashev has been found guilty by the Second Western District Military Court on charges of promoting extremism. Alongside a prison sentence, the judge imposed on the civil activist a fine of 100 thousand rubles (1,250).
During the trial, the prosecutor argued for an eight-year prison term, citing three comments made by Ivashev. Law enforcement officials interpreted these comments as incitement to murder Vladimir Uyba, the head of Komi.
Maintaining his innocence, Ivashev claimed that his prosecution resulted from his human rights activities.
Andrei Ivashev is a well-known civil rights activist in Syktyvkar. In early 2020, he conducted a series of pickets in defending Article 31 of the Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to freedom of assembly, rallies, pickets, and marches. As a vocal critic of the regional authorities, particularly Vladimir Uyba, Ivashev, alongside other public activists, called for the removal of the official, urging the president to take action.