A Czech citizen whom a Moscow court sentenced in September 2026 to 13 days in jail for a protest at Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square was released on Saturday, 3 October 2026. Adam Čörgö, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, told the Czech News Agency so. According to the ministry, the man successfully left Russian territory.[1][2]
According to the Russian court, as cited by the agency Interfax, the man came to the mausoleum and held a banner with an English-language inscription intended to discredit the Russian armed forces. Interfax did not give the text of the inscription. The court's press service said it was a solo protest at a site adjoining the residence of the Russian president, where holding public events is prohibited, and that after being detained the man refused to go to a police station and offered resistance.[1][2]
According to Interfax, the court found him guilty of discrediting the activities of the Russian army, violating the rules on holding protest events and disobeying the police. It imposed 13 days of administrative detention and two fines, 40,000 and 20,000 rubles, 60,000 rubles in total, or about 15,000 crowns. Russian lawmakers adopted the laws against the so-called discrediting of the army and the spreading of false information about it shortly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.[1][2]
According to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the Czech embassy in Moscow provided consular assistance to the detainee from the start.[1][2]
Related articles: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Chronology
- — A Czech citizen whom a Moscow court sentenced in September to 13 days in jail over a protest on Red Square was released and, according to the Czech Foreign Ministry, has left Russia. ČTK / České noviny Seznam Zprávy
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 5 October 2026
- Seznam Zprávy — 5 October 2026