- Title: Russia quashes jail sentence for novice actor after public outcry
- Date: 30th September 2019
- Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (SEPTEMBER 30, 2019) (REUTERS) MOSCOW CITY COURT EXTERIOR USTINOV AND HIS LAWYER COMING OUT OF COURT, APPROACHING MEDIA MEDIA SURROUNDING USTINOV (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) NOVICE ACTOR PAVEL USTINOV, SAYING: "We do not agree with the verdict. We will appeal against it in any case. I did not commit the crime. In any case I did not violate the law. That is it." MEDIA USTINOV ANSWERS IF HE WOULD APPEAL AGAINST THE RUSSIAN GUARDS FOR HIS DETENTION SAYING (Russian): 'I have a normal attitude to the Russian Guard, but in this case their actions were unlawful." COURT BUILDING USTINOV LEAVES COURT GROUNDS SURROUNDED BY MEDIA, SAYING (Russian): 'What happened insulted me of course...'
- Embargoed: 14th October 2019 12:39
- Keywords: Russia court Ustinov verdict Moscow protest police violence Moscow parliament election actor
- Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- City: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA002AYUMWJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A Russian court on Monday (September 30) quashed the jail sentence of an aspiring actor whose conviction for injuring a police officer on the sidelines of an opposition protest triggered a public outcry over alleged police brutality and judicial injustice.
Footage of Pavel Ustinov's arrest on Aug. 3 showed four national guardsmen in riot gear suddenly grabbing him while he was scrolling through his mobile phone in the street, apparently minding his own business.
Ustinov denied wrongdoing. But a Moscow court earlier this month sentenced him to three and a half years in prison after finding him guilty of hurting one of the guardsman, who fell over in the melee.
A Moscow court on Monday quashed his jail sentence however, and gave him a one-year suspended sentence instead, a rare reversal by the Russian judicial system.
Several other people sentenced in connection with the protests remain behind bars, and Ustinov's case is seen by some opposition activists as a way of de-escalating tensions with Kremlin critics while avoiding making bigger concessions.
His case became the focus of public anger, with Russian celebrities, including those who work on Kremlin-backed state TV, taking to social media to demand Ustinov be freed.
Ustinov had already been freed on bail on Sept. 20, pending the result of Monday's appeal.
He and his lawyer had wanted his conviction quashed completely given what they said was no evidence of a crime being committed. Ustinov said he'd appeal Monday's ruling to try to get his conviction quashed altogether.
(Production: Mikhail Antonov, Anton Derbenev) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None