Atamanchuk Vladimir Leonidovich

In July 2024, a criminal case for contempt of court was opened against 72-year-old activist Vladimir Atamanchuk in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai. It is unknown what became the reason for the criminal prosecution. Atamanchuk considers the new case a continuation of persecution for his pacifist position. He was brought in on the complaint of the victim in a defamation case due to leaflets scattered by an activist in the entrance. In Sochi on 21 October 2022, a criminal case was opened for repeated 'discreditation' of the Russian army against 71-year-old local activist and pensioner Vladimir Atamanchuk. After the interrogation, he was released on his own recognizance not to leave. According to the decision to open a criminal case, on September 4, Atamanchuk went out into the street with leaflets about the fact that most of the residents of Sochi hold pacifist views, and the authorities persecute those who express a different opinion. Earlier, on 17 and 23 May 2022, the Lazarevsky District Court of Sochi twice fined Atamanchuk under an administrative article on discrediting the army for distributing anti-war leaflets. On November 11, the investigator of the Sochi UVD invited Atamanchuk for a conversation. The man was informed that the case against him for 'discrediting' had been dropped, but a new one for defamation had been opened. The basis for the criminal prosecution were complaints from two residents with whom Atamanchuk participated in the elections to the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory a year ago. According to the new version of the investigation, the leaflets that the activist distributed on September 4, 2022, in the entranceways of two residential buildings contain false information that defames the honor and dignity and undermines the reputation of the candidates for deputies of the Legislative Assembly of the Krasnodar Territory: Valery Baev (KPRF), Veronika Ivanchikova (LDPR), and Kira Skripal ('New People'). The leaflets, in particular, stated that these three candidates "took the side of lies, violence, and evil" on February 24, 2022. The linguistic forensic examination concluded that the content of the leaflets did not contain any discrediting of the Russian armed forces, so the case under this article was discontinued. The same resolution states that the case of libel against the activist should be continued. 12 April 2024, the magistrate judge of the 94th judicial district of Lazarevsky district of Sochi found Vladimir Atamanchuk guilty and sentenced him to 200 hours of compulsory labor. On June 21, 2024, the Lazarevsky District Court of Sochi upheld the verdict.