EU demanded the immediate release of Andrey Pivovarov

According to a statement from the European External Action Service, the detention of Pivovarov continues the trend of "narrowing the space for civil society, opposition and critical voices, as well as independent media" in Russia. At the same time, European diplomats are demanding the repeal of the law on "undesirable organizations" as not complying with the Council of Europe convention on human rights.

As noted by The Insider, the human rights organization Amnesty International also demanded to release Pivovarov.

Earlier it became known that on May 31, Pivovarov was removed from the plane "according to the Belarusian scenario", when the liner with Pivovarov on board was already taking off from the St. Petersburg Pulkovo airport. The plane was deployed from the runway, and politics was taken to the FSB.

“I have just been taken off the plane at Pulkovo. I flew to rest, went through customs, there were no questions. The plane had already passed taxiing, when suddenly it stopped. The cops drove up and took me out. Now I am at the FSB Pulkovo”, - Pivovarov wrote on the social network.

The reason for the arrest of the politician was the initiation of a criminal case under Art. 284.1 CC - carrying out the activities of an undesirable organization.

This happened after May 27, the Council of "Open Russia"* made a decision to liquidate the organization and published an open statement about it. The reason for the liquidation of the organization was the urgent adoption by the State Duma of amendments to Art. 284.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, making the further work of the organization impossible under the threat of 6 years in prison. The activists suggested that the government would decide to jail all more or less prominent activists in order to close the possibility of nominating regional legislative assemblies to the State Duma, elections to which will take place on September 19 this year.

After the arrest, Pivovarov was sent from St. Petersburg to Krasnodar. According to lawyers, this was done in order not to allow the court to release Pivovarov under house arrest, but to close him in the pre-trial detention center for the duration of the investigation. To prevent this, lawyers found a long-term rental apartment for Pivovarov in Krasnodar.

"Mandatory conditions - the agreement must contain the consent of the owners that the apartment will be used for the purpose of living and execution of a measure of restraint in the form of house arrest", - said lawyer OVD Info Dmitry Zakhvatov.

* - The Prosecutor General's Office recognized the organization as undesirable on the territory of Russia.