Aleksandr Kameniuk
Aleksandr Kameniuk, born 1979, Kamchatka Krai. Charges: Article 128.1 part 5, Russian Criminal Code (Defamation related to sexual offense or a felony); Article 319, Russian Criminal Code (Public insult of a government official); “The case of a video about the prosecutor's office of Kamchatka Krai”. Sentence (November 16, 2023): allegedly 320 hours of compulsory labour; previously convicted under Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code. Status: at large. Recognition: Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners — recognised as a political prisoner, March 16, 2023.
In brief
Kamchatka Krai · Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky · Politicians · Anti-war cases
Sentence
allegedly 320 hours of compulsory labour
First instance, August 18, 2023: 470 hours of compulsory labour
Other verdicts
- March 15, 2023 — Fine 450 thousand, due to preventive measures reduced to 100 thousand rubles
Charges
- Article 128.1 part 5, Russian Criminal Code — Defamation related to sexual offense or a felony.
- Article 319, Russian Criminal Code — Public insult of a government official
- Article 280.3 part 1, Russian Criminal Code
Full wording of the charges
According to the investigation version, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 14.09.2021 Kamenyuk and Filatov, being on the ground floor of the administrative building of the Prosecutor's Office of the Kamchatka region, which houses subdivisions of the apparatus of the Prosecutor's Office of the region, the Prosecutor's Office of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Kamchatka Interdistrict Environmental Prosecutor's Office, located at the above-mentioned address, in violation of the admission regime established by p.3.13 of the Regulations on admission regime, made an attempt to pass into the room for the reception of citizens with audio and video recording equipment, which they planned to use to record the process of personal reception of the person against whom criminal prosecution is not being carried out. Then, Kamenyuk and Filatov, acting in violation of the admission regime established by clause 3.13. of the Regulations on admission regime, went to the room for the reception of citizens with audio and video recording equipment, which they used to record the process of personal reception of the person against whom criminal prosecution is not being carried out Further, in the period from 13 hours 01 minutes on 14.09.2021 till 18 hours 12.10.2021 Kamenyuk and Filatov, being on the territory of the Kamchatka region, on the grounds of unpleasant relations to the employees of the Prosecutor's Office as to the representatives of the authorities due to the following reasons: 1) non-execution of personal reception by the Victim №1, in connection with the refusal to fulfil the lawful demand of the latter; 2) explanation by the Victim №2 of the order of holding personal reception of citizens by the Prosecutor of the Kamchatka Territory (Victim №3) and her demand to stop violation of the public order and pass regime, established by the clause 3.13. Regulations on the admission regime; 3) disagreement with the Order of reception of citizens, approved by the Prosecutor of Kamchatka Territory,(Victim №3), having an intention aimed at publicly insulting the representatives of the authorities (Victim №3, Victim №2, Victim №1) in connection with the performance of their official duties, acting jointly and in concert, decided to make and edit a video containing their dialogue in the form of a verbal exchange of statements according to a script prepared in advance, and to post it on the Internet, after which, in pursuance of their plan, they, knowing with certainty that the above prosecutor's office employees are representatives of the authorities, who on 14.09.2021, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. performed their official duties under the above circumstances, and while understanding the socially dangerous nature of their actions, foreseeing and desiring the occurrence of socially dangerous consequences in the form of disruption of the normal lawful functioning of state authorities and the undermining of their authority, as well as the public humiliation of the honour and dignity of representatives of the authorities, namely: the Prosecutor of Kamchatka Krai (Victim №3), the Senior Assistant Prosecutor of Kamchatka Krai (Victim №2), and the First Deputy Prosecutor of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, acting Prosecutor of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Victim №1) in the eyes of an indefinite circle of persons, acting jointly and in concert, using technical means and computer equipment, they produced and edited a video clip entitled "<daninye Izyaty>" containing their dialogue, in which they indicated that they were representatives of the mass media: Kamenyuk as deputy editor-in-chief of the news agency "<daniye izty>" and Filatov as a journalist of this agency, and took turns uttering insulting expressions degrading the honour and human dignity of the representatives of the authorities - employees of the prosecutor's office, Victim №1 and Victim №2, Victim №3 in an obscene and otherwise contrary to generally accepted norms of morality and ethics. Then Victim No. 1 expressed to them a legal demand to stop violating the pass regime established by p.3.13. of the Regulations on the access regime, and indicated that the personal reception of the above persons would take place after the audio and video recording equipment was switched off; Victim #2 explained the procedure of the personal reception of citizens by the Prosecutor of Kamchatka Territory (Victim #3), and also expressed a demand to stop violating the public order and access regime established by the law, as set forth in p. 3.13. of the Regulations on the access regime, Regulations on admission regime at the above-mentioned facility; Then Kamenyuk and Filatov using technical means and computer equipment, in violation of Art. 1, Art. 4 and Art. 51 Law on Mass Media, placed the above mentioned video clip in the information and telecommunication network "Internet", on the publicly available Internet resource video hosting site "Youtube" at the electronic address: <data access denied>, containing an oral dialogue between Kamenyuk and Filatov, in which the latter, indicating that they are representatives of the mass media - the news agency "<data access denied>", uttered insulting expressions degrading the honor and human dignity of representatives of the authorities - employees of the Prosecutor's Office of Victim №3, Victim №2, Victim №1 in an obscene and otherwise contrary to generally accepted norms of morality and ethics, pointing to the inability of these officials to perform their professional functions, due to their individual cowardice, weakness, lack of conscience, and mentally unhealthy state, i.e., their inability to perform their professional functions.е. voiced information discrediting the honour and dignity of Victim №3, Victim №2, Victim №1, as employees of the Prosecutor's Office of Kamchatka Krai, and as citizens, undermining their professional and personal reputation, as well as discrediting the work of the state body, communicating the content of the video to an indefinite circle of people, from among the visitors of the above-mentioned Internet resources, i.e. publicly insulted the representatives of the authorities in connection with the performance of their official duties, humiliating the honour and human dignity of the representatives of the authorities.
Latest event
November 16, 2023 — appeal
The court changed the sentence.
Recognition by rights defenders
- Recognised as a political prisoner — Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners, March 16, 2023
Timeline
· Appeal ruling
sentence changed
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict
· Appeal ruling
upheld
· Recognised as a political prisoner
Memorial: Support for Political Prisoners
· First-instance verdict
guilty verdict
· Preventive measure: travel ban (written undertaking)
· Persecution ends
· Preventive measure: pre-trial detention
· Preventive measure: placement in a temporary detention facility
· Preventive measure: ban on certain activities
· Criminal case opened
The case of Alexander Kameniuk on the discrediting of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
· Preventive measure: ban on certain activities
· Persecution begins
The case of a video about the prosecutor's office of Kamchatka Krai
Criminal case
The case of a video about the prosecutor's office of Kamchatka Krai
- Case number
- 1-129/2023
The case of Alexander Kameniuk on the discrediting of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
- Case number
- 1-97/2023 (1-1060/2022;)
Thematic group: Anti-war case
Details and sources
Full summary
Former head of the local branch of A Just Russia. In October 2021, his apartment was searched due to a case of insulting a representative of the authorities and defamation: the reason was a video entitled "About the work of the Prosecutor's Office of Kamchatka Krai". On 15 June 2022 Kamenyuk was detained. The local Interior Ministry reported that a post published by Kamenyuk in one of the messengers on 24 May became the reason for opening a case of discrediting the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Earlier, at least two administrative cases were brought against the activist for discrediting the Russian Army (Article 20.3.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences), one case - about a video clip, apparently posted on Facebook or Instagram - was already considered by the court and Kamenyuk was fined 50 thousand rubles. There was no official information that this decision had come into force at the time the criminal case was initiated. A measure of restraint in the form of a ban on certain actions was chosen against Kamenyuk. In September 2022, law enforcers detained Kamenyuk allegedly because of an attempt to "escape from the preliminary investigation" and kept him in a temporary detention centre for two days. In November, the court took him into custody due to violations of the previous preventive measure and missed meetings with the investigator. Later Kamenyuk's preventive measure was changed to house arrest. On 15 March 2023, the court sentenced him to a fine of 450 thousand rubles. Taking into account the time spent in custody, the amount was reduced to 100 thousand rubles. The verdict also states that in payment of this amount "foreclosed on the arrested property" - it is not known what property was seized from Kamenyuk. Since January 2023, the court also considered a case of insulting a representative of authority and defamation. On 18 August 2023, Kamenyuk was sentenced to 470 hours of compulsory labour, reducing the term taking into account the time spent in custody. On 16 November 2023, the appeal court dismissed the charge of insulting a representative of the authorities due to the expiration of the statute of limitations and apparently reduced the formal term of work to 320 hours.
All fields of the record
- Citizenship
- Russia
- Persecution episodes
- 2
Other people prosecuted under Article 128.1 part 5, Russian Criminal Code
Under the same article, not necessarily in the same case.