The court fined former deputy Vladimir Zavarkin in Suoyarvi on May 4 for a single picket in support of residents of the house with a leaking roof. He held a poster with an inscription addressed to the prosecutor.

Judge Tatyana Eliseeva fined Vladimir Zavarkin for 20 thousand rubles. The court considered the case of an administrative offense for about three hours.

The case of Zavarkin was brought on the initiative of the mayor of Suoyarvi Roman Petrov. The ex-deputy was punished under Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses ('Violation of the established procedure for organizing or holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession or picketing') for a single picket that he held near the house on Lenina, 35.

'Petrov says that we gathered rallies! Petrov, the head of Suoyarvi, is in Veshkilytsy himself, it is 50 kilometers [from the city], and writes an explanatory note that Zavarkin was speaking there, gathered an audience. There was no one. And there was no protocol drawn up for the rally, it was made two weeks later,' Zavarkin said. 'Well, I'll pay 20 thousand. We will now submit to the Supreme Court of Karelia, and then to the European Court of Human Rights.'

Precinct Dmitry Volchkov served him a summons on May 4. The court session was not scheduled — it was considered by the judge on duty.


Vladimir Zavarkin has repeatedly criticized the regional authorities, the mayor of Suoyarvi Roman Petrov and the city prosecutor Oleg Bolgov. On January 29, 2017 Zavarkin came out with a single picket to the house on Lenina, 35. According to the former deputy, 2.5 million rubles were ‘laundered’ from the city budget when repairing the roof of the 35th house. After repairs in spring of 2015, the roof began to leak.

Criminal case in relation to Vladimir Zavarkin was opened after his speech at the rally ‘For resignation of Khudilainen’ in May 2015. Zavarkin was accused of separatism. The Petrozavodsk City Court found him guilty and refused to release a conviction of the deputy. The Supreme Court of Karelia upheld the verdict.

Sergey Markelov, «7x7»

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