Russian Actress Fined For Taking Part In Navalny Rally

A court in Moscow has fined well-known Russian actress Aglaya Tarasova for taking part in a rally protesting the arrest of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.

The Timiriyazev district court said on March 10 that Tarasova was found guilty of taking part in an unsanctioned public event and fined 10,000 rubles ($135).

Tarasova was among protesters detained at a pro-Navalny rally in Moscow on February 2.

The nationwide demonstration was against the arrest of Navalny, who was detained at a Moscow airport on January 17 upon his arrival from Germany, where he was recovering from an attack with what several European laboratories concluded was a military-grade chemical nerve agent in Siberia in August.

Navalny has insisted that his poisoning was ordered directly by President Vladimir Putin, which the Kremlin has denied.

Tarasova was detained along with hundreds of other demonstrators, hours after a court in Moscow ruled that while in Germany, Navalny had violated the terms of parole from an old embezzlement case that is widely considered to be politically motivated.

Navalny’s 3 1/2-year suspended sentence from the case was converted into a jail term, though the court said he will serve 2 1/2 years in prison given time served.

Overall, more than 1,500 people were detained in Moscow and several other Russian cities that day. Thousands more have been detained in other similar rallies in support of the Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner.

Tarasova is known in Russia for acting in several major film and television roles, including the popular series Bomb and Interns, as well in the movies Ice and Ice 2.

Based on reporting by Meduza and Vedomosti