A court in Russia's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, on June 26 rejected an appeal filed by lawyers of well-known opposition activist and Soviet-era dissident Aleksandr Skobov against his pretrial arrest. The 66-year-old activist, who has condemned Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, was arrested and placed in pretrial detention in April on a charge of justifying of terrorism. The charge is related to Skobov's online comments about an explosion on the Kerch bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea in 2022. Skobov did not rise when the judge entered the courtroom and refused to answer the judge's questions, saying: " I neither recognize nor respect your court, because it serves not justice but [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's Nazi dictatorship." To read the original story by RFE/RL's North.Realities, click here.
Soviet-Era Dissident Skobov Loses Appeal Against His Arrest In St. Petersburg
Aleksandr Skobov (file photo)