Open Russia candidate in Tyumen arrested, has newspapers confiscated
Alexandr Kunilovskiy, State Duma candidate for Tyumen Region, whose bid is backed by Open Russia, has had his entire print run of campaign newspapers seized and faces an investigation on charges of libel.
The papers were confiscated by around ten police officers and the head of the Tyumen division of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Kunilovskiy told Kasparov.Ru.
According to Kunilovskiy, he and his staff had put together and printed a campaign newspaper containing, inter alia, critical comments made by Tyumen residents about the regional governor, Vladimir Yakushev, during a meeting with him.
However, says Kunilovskiy, the local election commission found “technical errors” (inaccurate number of copies, incorrect order number) in the documents submitted to obtain a licence to distribute the material. As a result, the commission did not grant permission for the newspaper to be distributed, but neither did it explain this fact to Kunilovskiy, he says. On 31 August, police detained campaign staff, out canvassing, and seized the papers they were handing out. Next, the police paid a visit to campaign HQ and tried to remove all remaining copies. However, continues Kunilovskiy, the attempt failed because their actions were unlawful, since only the distribution of the paper was prohibited.
![Police station in Tyumen. [Impounded] sign reads “Kunilovskiy. Mobile constituency surgery with your Duma candidate. ‘Give us back our voice, and bureaucrats – I’ll make you listen!’”](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Photo-2-8.jpg)
The office being empty, the owner of the premises was summoned to provide access, says Kunilovskiy. He himself arrived when the entire print run had been confiscated. Two reports were filed against him, one pertaining to the inspection of the premises and one under Article 5.12 of the Russian Federation Code of Administrative Offences “Production, distribution or placement of campaign materials in violation of legislation on elections and referenda.”
Moreover, on the very same day, Kunilovskiy was summoned to the Tyumen division of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
Someone had filed a statement against him for allegedly disseminating defamatory content through his campaign newspaper. The Investigative Committee is presently verifying the statement, after which a decision will be taken on whether to launch a criminal investigation.
The incident follows an administrative case brought against Yegor Savin, leader of the Novosibirsk branch of PARNAS (and a candidate for the Duma, supported by Open Russia), for allegedly displaying Nazi paraphernalia in public (Art. 20.3 of the RF Code of Administrative Offences).
