Dmitry Solovyov, head of the Kemerovo branch of the youth opposition group Oborona, faces up to two years in prison if convicted for two blog posts in which he accused officers from the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service, or FSB, of abuses, Oborona leader Oleg Kozlovsky told The Moscow Times on Monday.
Kozlovsky said Solovyov was unavailable for comment because he was studying the charges against him. The case will go to court sometime after April 11, Kozlovsky said.
Several bloggers have faced prosecution on hate speech charges in recent years, though usually for writings that they had themselves authored.
Solovyov did not write the contents of the blog post but instead quoted a piece by another blogger, citing the original. The post accused Interior Ministry and FSB officers of silencing opposition, delivering "unjust verdicts," "beating confessions out" of people, intimidation and committing dissidents to psychiatric asylums.
Kemerovo regional prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Solovyov's activities in August, following allegations that he made offensive comments about law enforcement officers on a blog. The postings in question were made from December 2006 to June 2008 under the nickname "dimon77."
At the time, Kozlovsky called the case an attempt to intimidate members of Oborona, which has regularly participated in rallies staged by opposition coalition The Other Russia.
Officials at the Kemerovo regional branch of the Investigative Committee's could not be reached for comment Monday.
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