Human rights defenders demand the immediate release of Ilya Azar
29 мая 2020, 11:09
Human rights organizations PEN-Moscow and Svobodnoe Slovo (Free Word) uniting writers and journalists issued a statement regarding the illegal detention of journalists in Moscow
A statement by human rights defenders says:
“They are outraged by the administrative period of 15 days awarded for a single picket to journalist and municipal deputy Ilya Azar, and the detention of journalists Sergey Smirnov, Tatyana Felgenhauer, Alexander Plyushchev, Victoria Ivleva, Anastasia Lotareva, Alisa Ganieva, who went out in solitary pickets to the building of the Main Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in support of him.
Holding single pickets does not require coordination with the authorities. And the regime of self-isolation cannot be an excuse for violating the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.
We demand the immediate release of all detainees!”