Witnesses in Igor Stenin's case complain of police pressure

Four activists of the "Stavropol Union of Voters" planned to testify in favour of Igor Stenin at the court hearing to be held in Astrakhan on April 7. According to the activists, on their way to Astrakhan, the police repeatedly stopped them on far-fetched pretexts, and then the activists decided to return home.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Igor Stenin is accused of spreading calls for extremism in social networks. On February 8, the Astrakhan Court announced Stenin's trial closed, one of the administrators of the group "Russians of Astrakhan" in social network "VKontakte" announced that he had testified against Igor Stenin under pressure.

According to Dmitry Chernov, a resident of the Stavropol Territory, an activist of the "Stavropol Union of Voters", he with three of his friends planned to testify at the court hearing in the Igor Stenin's case to be held in Astrakhan on April 7. However, on their way to the city of Mineralnye Vody, they were several times stopped by road police and staff members of the Centre to Combat Extremism.

As a result, the activists have made a decision to return home. Only three defence witnesses from Volgograd and Astrakhan were able to come to the court hearing.

Volgograd residents Mikhail Alaev and Kirill Fabritsiev told the court that they "saw no calls for extremism at the page of the group 'Russians of Astrakhan'". The next court hearing is scheduled for April 15.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.