Russian investigators on Tuesday opened a prison case towards Pyotr Verzilov, an anti-Kremlin activist and affiliate of the Pussy Riot punk staff, for having allegedly did not claim his twin Canadian citizenship.
The announcement got here as Verzilov, writer of the non-public Mediazona information outlet, had simply been launched following a 15-day stint in prison after he used to be discovered accountable of petty hooliganism for swearing in public.
Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes severe crimes, stated it had found out Verzilov held a Canadian passport whilst undertaking a seek connected to his participation in unauthorized protests final 12 months.
The Investigative Committee stated Verzilov had no longer notified the Russian government that he holds twin citizenship, an offence that may end up in a positive or obligatory labour.
Verzilov wrote on Twitter that he used to be already being puzzled by means of investigators and referred to as the prison case towards him “crazy.”
Russia in 2014 followed regulation requiring its nationals to claim their twin citizenship or face prison prosecution. At the time, critics stated the regulation would position folks with two passports underneath suspicion and expressed worry that its goal used to be to whip up nationalist fervour.
Verzilov used to be one in all 4 Pussy Riot activists who ran onto the pitch dressed in police uniforms all the way through the overall of the 2018 World Cup at Moscow’s Luzhniki stadium, a stunt they stated aimed to attract consideration to human rights abuses in Russia.
