October 20, 2026, 8:56 AMRSSRU

Yaroslav Belousov

At largeChecked October 18, 2026

Yaroslav Belousov, born 1991, Moscow. Charges: Article 212 part 2, Russian Criminal Code (Participation in mass riots); Article 318 part 1, Russian Criminal Code (Use of non-dangerous violence against a government official); “A case of eight”. Sentence (June 19, 2014): Two years three months' deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony. Status: at large. Recognition: Amnesty International — recognised as a prisoner of conscience, December 9, 2013; Memorial Human Rights Centre — recognised as a political prisoner, July 10, 2012.

In brief

Moscow · Moscow · Students · Cases related to mass actions

Sentence

2 years 3 months

Two years three months' deprivation of liberty in a general regime colony

Sentence changed June 19, 2014

First instance, February 23, 2014: 2 years 6 months

Charges

Full wording of the charges

participated in the mass riots on Bolotnaya Square on 6 May 2012, threw a yellow round object at a police officer

Latest event

September 8, 2014 — imprisonment ends

Checked October 18, 2026 · no changes since October 15

Recognition by rights defenders

Timeline

  1. · Imprisonment ends

  2. · Appeal ruling

    sentence changed · 2 years 3 months

  3. · First-instance verdict

    guilty verdict · 2 years 6 months

  4. · Persecution ends

  5. · Recognised as a prisoner of conscience

    Amnesty International

  6. · Recognised as a political prisoner

    Memorial Human Rights Centre

Criminal case

A case of eight

Other defendants in the case

Thematic group: Bolotnaya case; The case of the twelve

Details and sources

Full summary

According to OVD-Info

Yaroslav Belousov is an activist of the Russian Civil Union and was an election observer. He was detained on 6 May 2012 on Bolotnaya Square, charged with disobedience to lawful demands of police officers and sentenced to arrest for 24 hours. However, a month later Belousov was arrested on criminal charges. As for the use of violence, he is accused of throwing an object (according to some investigators and prosecutors, a billiard ball, which he brought with him) at riot policeman Vladimir Filippov (at first he was accused of throwing stones and pieces of asphalt, breaking through the cordon and hitting representatives of the authorities). The video only shows Belousov picking up a certain object from the ground, most likely resembling a lemon, and throwing it aside (the prosecution claims that he threw the object "with aim", but Belousov is nearsighted and was without glasses at that moment), and this happens when Filippov is no longer around. The prosecution noted the "aggressive facial expression" on the video as evidence of Belousov's criminal intent. Belousov suffered a hypertensive crisis while in the pre-trial detention centre. He has a small child who was about to undergo a heavy operation, but the court did not consider this a reason to transfer Belousov under house arrest. Prosecutors in the debate asked to sentence Belousov to five years' imprisonment in a general regime colony. The defence lawyers insisted on his complete innocence. The Zamoskvoretsky court sentenced him to two and a half years in a general regime colony, while the Moscow City Court reduced the term by three months. About a month before the end of his sentence, Belousov was transferred to the Stavropol Territory. He was released on 8 September 2014.

All fields of the record
Citizenship
Russia
Sources (2)

Other people prosecuted under Article 212 part 2, Russian Criminal Code

Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.

All 146 under this article →