Support The Moscow Times!

Jailed Russian Activist Razvozzhayev Denied Permission to Attend Mother's Funeral – Lawyer

Razvozzhayev, who formerly served as an adviser to leftist parliamentarian Ilya Ponomaryov, was sentenced in July last year to 4 1/2 years in prison.

Russian activist and former parliamentary adviser Leonid Razvozzhayev, who is currently in a Moscow jail after being found guilty of inciting riots at a 2012 opposition rally, was denied permission to attend his mother's funeral on Sunday, his lawyer said.

Razvozzhayev's mother died at the age of 81 on Wednesday, and that day he contacted Russia's human rights ombudswoman Ella Pamfilova to help him get permission to attend the funeral in Moscow, lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky told the BFM radio station.

Pamfilova in turn contacted the Federal Prison Service, which apparently declined the request, Agranovsky was quoted as saying.

Razvozzhayev, who formerly served as an adviser to leftist parliamentarian Ilya Ponomaryov, was sentenced in July last year to 4 1/2 years in prison for "organizing riots" after a rally on the eve of Vladimir Putin's inauguration to his third presidential term in May 2012 descended into clashes between demonstrators and police.

Earlier this month Agranovsky told the Interfax news agency that Razvozzhayev would soon be sent to a penal colony in the Siberian region of Irkutsk.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more