A court in the Russian city of Samara on January 10 rejected an appeal filed by singer Eduard Sharlot against his pretrial arrest on charges of "rehabilitating Nazism and insulting believers' feelings." Sharlot was initially arrested and handed 13 days in jail for "hooliganism" upon his return in November from Armenia, where he publicly protested against Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The criminal charges were filed against him in December and he was placed in pretrial detention. The charges stem from a video Sharlot posted on Instagram in June showing him burning his Russian passport and condemning Moscow's aggression against Ukraine. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
Russian Musician's Appeal Against Detention Rejected
Russian musician Eduard Sharlot (file photo)