Arkhangelsk judge fined a pensioner for a comment in social networks about courts. Earlier, the same judge refused to fine an ativist under a similar article
According to human rights activist Pavel Chikov, pensioner Elena Makarova wrote a comment, saying "they are absolutely out of line", about the numerous fines of the participants of the rally on April 7 in Arkhangelsk. The court fined her under the new part 3 of Article 20.1 of the Code of administrative offences, concerning disrespect for society, the state, or bodies exercising state power in the Russian Federation.
On July 9, Sergey Yarmolyuk refused to fine activist Alexander Pushkin, who had appealed in an obscene form to uncertain judges because of decisions on fines to the participants of the environmental protest associated with the landfill construction at Shies station. That time, the judge did not make a fine, he said that court decisions always cause a mixed reaction of society, but it is impossible to fine for this. In his decision, according to Mediazona, he referred to the Constitution of Russia.
— The judge is the same, and here we have two completely different texts [of the court decision]. If in the first case we had such a long decision, which was very detailed and clear, why not punish people under this article for comments made on the Internet, the decision that we received yesterday included two little pages and no specifics, it just stated that the person had disseminated something, it had been done in an indecent form, it was not good — and therefore the person should be held responsible, — said Kuroptev to "7x7".
Elena Makarova and her defender are going to appeal against this decision.
On July 18, the Ministry of Internal Affairs supplied its divisions with manuals, where it is explained to police officers which offenses can be considered under the new law about disrespect of the authorities. It says that protocols should be drawn up for publications on the Internet that are made "in rough form", contain obscene language, pornographic, "improper" images, as well as "socially unacceptable comparative images or other offensive expressions" in relation to state symbols, the President, the State Duma, the Federation Council, the government, and the courts.