In Moscow, Dmitry Regush, a parent of multiple children, received a 3.5 year prison sentence for providing funds to the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
The Nikulinsky District Court convicted Dmitry Regush, age 40, under Clause 1 of Article 282.3 of the Criminal Code (funding extremist activities).
During the court proceedings, Regush's legal representative presented a record of his questioning. The accused declared that he had been making contributions to aid the legitimate endeavors of Alexei Navalny since 2018. Regush routinely sent funds to the FBK.
In court, Regush showed regret and acknowledged his culpability. He clarified that he hadn't given much thought to the reports that the group was labeled extremist: “I was aware of it, but I was careless. I didn't review the listings and proceeded with the payment.” He made seven payments totaling 28,000 rubles: “My sole purpose in sending the money was to promote anti-corruption work. I was unaware that they would then participate in actions aimed at undermining the Russian Federation.”
“I sincerely atone for my actions. I haven't repeated this action in recent times. My entire existence is devoted to my family, bringing up my offspring, and my job. I present no danger to the community. I have three underage kids. I am requesting a sentence outside of incarceration so I can spend the New Year holidays with them,” Regush expressed in his concluding remarks.
As per the defense, over the last half-year in Russia, from 31 parallel criminal instances, 21 defendants were given penalties, leading the defense to seek an “unbiased judgment”: “Given that this kind of precedent exists in Russia, we are requesting that the option of issuing a fine be taken into consideration.”
Dmitry Regush was taken into custody in September of this year. He was employed by his own home cleaning supplies company and had his own advertising venture.
* The organization is classified as extremist within the Russian Federation.
