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Amnestied and Released

On December 18, 2013, a prison amnesty, introduced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Russia’s constitution, entered into force. The amnesty covered people prosecuted for “participation in mass riots” and “calling for mass riots” but not for violence against officials or organizing mass riots. By the end of 2013, five people facing charges in relation to the Bolotnaya demonstration, including three people in custody, were freed from prosecution under the amnesty. In January and February 2014, five more Bolotnaya defendants were amnestied. Four of them had earlier been released from custody on their own recognizance.

A total of ten people charged in relation to the Bolotnaya rally have been amnestied and released from prosecution. Of these, nine had served from sixteen months to several weeks behind bars.

As noted above, those amnestied include Maria Baronova, Vladimir Akimenkov, Leonid Kovyazin, and Nikolay Kavkazskiy from the so-called “trial of twelve.” Also among those amnestied were a group of people who never even attended the Bolotnaya Square rally:. Alexandr Kamenskiy, Rikhard Sobolyov, and Oleg Arkhipenkov They were amnestied on February 17, 2014, having spent from ten days to two months in custody. Fyodor Bakhov, whom authorities had grouped together with the other three, was amnestied on January 17, 2014, having spent approximately five months in custody.

Dmitriy Rukavishnikov—who as noted above had been part of the case against Ilya Guschin, Alexander Margolin, Alexey Gaskarov, and Elena Kokhtareva—was amnestied on December 25, having spent approximately eight months in custody. Dmitriy Altaychinov, who was charged with only mass rioting, was amnestied in January 2014.

On May 26, 2014, Polina Strongina from St. Petersburg, was charged with mass rioting on Bolotnaya Square. The Investigation Committee reported that Strongina confessed to mass rioting, particularly to having thrown a plastic bottle towards police officers. She was released under travel restrictions pending trial and was amnestied on June 26. On June 3, 2014, Oleg Melnikov was charged with mass rioting on Bolotnaya Square. The Investigation Committee reported that Melnikov confessed to mass rioting, specifically to having overturned portable toilet booths. He was released under travel restrictions pending trial, and was amnestied on June 26.