Russian court fines former parliamentary candidate over T-shirt bearing Alexey Navalny’s ‘party of crooks and thieves’ slogan against ruling United Russia
The Sverdlovsky District Court in Kostroma fined Andrey Tarasov, a former State Duma candidate for the Yabloko Party, 1,000 rubles for “displaying extremist symbols” under Article 20.3, Part 1, of Russia’s Code of Administrative Offenses.
German officials have expelled a 21-year-old Russian man of Yazidi ethnicity, according to local news source ND. Human rights activists claim he faced deportation to Russia, where he would have been conscripted into military service. The young man, named Artur, had been living in Bielefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia since he was ten years old.
He had applied for a residence permit based on plans to start vocational training in the summer of 2026. However, immigration authorities unexpectedly ordered his deportation to Russia prior to signing a training contract. On October 8, Artur was detained pending deportation. However, activists attempted to prevent his departure, arguing he cannot speak Russian and would face compulsory military service in Russia.
German authorities ultimately permitted Artur to leave Germany voluntarily for Armenia, provided he departed on the same day. Artem Klyga, head of the legal department at the Conscientious Objectors’ Movement, stated that individuals at risk of being sent to war by Russia currently have limited chances of obtaining protection in European countries.
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