13 October 2023, 22:54
Ossetian journalist Ruslan Totrov to challenge his third fine
Ruslan Totrov, a journalist fined by a court in Vladikavkaz for his post placed in a social network, plans to appeal against the fine. According to his story, no fines will force him to express his opinions with more restraint.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the court fined Ruslan Totrov by 20,000 roubles for his post about the detention of a girl who was reading a book in Ukrainian. The court has regarded Totrov's comment on this event as inciting hatred or enmity.
Earlier, Totrov was fined twice under an administrative article for discrediting the Russian Army. On December 1, 2022, the Promyshlenny District Court of Vladikavkaz fined the journalist by 50,000 roubles, finding him guilty of discrediting Russian militaries; a similar decision was made under a different protocol on November 14, 2022. Totrov has appealed against both fines, but the Supreme Court of North Ossetia upheld the rulings, rejecting all the defence's arguments, including the fact that Totrov lives abroad.
Having received his third fine, Totrov has no intent to express himself more restrainedly in his texts. "I am not afraid of any fines, let them initiate them. This will affect neither my texts nor my position, and certainly will not affect my desire to show the world that Ossetia <has> a civilized media image, that Ossetia is not only support for what what's going on in Ukraine," he has stated.
Totrov finds his return to Russia impossible. "I will arrive no earlier than the political regime in Russia changes," he has noted.
Batraz Misikov, a blogger from Ossetia, was subject to criminal prosecution for his statements in a post; his case was also based on an examination made on the FSB's order.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the blogger, Batraz Misikov, writing under the pseudonym "Batraz Sidamon", was accused in May 2022 of promoting the superiority of Russians over Ossetians and inciting hatred towards the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) and the Russian state.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 12, 2023 at 10:54 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: СK correspondent
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