Human rights activists: Denisova's actions have no crime elements

Today in Moscow at a press conference "Fighting counterfeits or fighting human rights defenders? Krasnodar case. Persecuting of Anastasia Denisova" her colleagues have stated that the actions of the Krasnodar human rights defender and head of "ETnIKA" organization have no crime attributes.

Anastasia, who is under recognizance not to leave, could not visit the press conference.

According to Marina Dubrovina, her advocate and employee of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", the case was already transferred to the Leninskiy District Court of Krasnodar. In Marina's opinion, there are no crime attributes in her client's actions.

Ms Denisova is accused of using counterfeit software; however, the materials of the case have no proofs that the confiscated computers belonged to the "ETnIKA" or its employees. Besides, there is no clear data on when and who had used this equipment.

Ms Dubrovina said that the room, from where computers had been confiscated, was rented not by the organization, but by Denisova personally.

Making comments on other violations admitted by the Prosecutor's Office in the course of inquiry, the lawyer said the damage, allegedly caused by Anastasia to Microsoft-representing companies, was appraised by the victims, although it contradicts to the law. She noted that the damage should be calculated and presented to the court by official distributors of the companies-legal owners of the copyright with the help of official pricelists.

As explained by Dmitri Makarov, coordinator of the team of the Youth Human Rights Movement in Defence of Human Rights Activists and project coordinator of the Moscow Helsinki Group, the Prosecutor's Office argued that the computers stored three files with the name of the organization. On this ground, the persons in shoulder straps concluded that the computers worked for the "ETnIKA" and personally for Denisova.

Alexander Verhovskiy, Director of the SOVA Information-and-Analytical Centre and a member of the Public Board at the MIA of the Russian Federation, and Alexander Osipov, a member of the Board of the HRC "Memorial" and coordinator of the project "Situation with ethnic minority in the Krasnodar Territory", see the real reason of persecuting Denisova in the desire of local authorities "to clear up" the civil and public environment in the region before the forthcoming Olympiad.

See earlier reports: "Criminal case opened against human rights defender in Krasnodar," "Krasnodar: Anastasia Denisova's apartment searched," "Computers confiscated from human rights activist during search," "Employee of HRC "Memorial" in Krasnodar Territory complains of pressure," "Russian human rights activists state pressure on them in Abkhazian border."