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Share ‘It’s enough for the courts’: This 22-year-old has become Russia’s go-to expert witness in court cases launched over prohibited symbols — like Team Navalny’s logo
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‘It’s enough for the courts’: This 22-year-old has become Russia’s go-to expert witness in court cases launched over prohibited symbols — like Team Navalny’s logo
In June 2021, the Moscow City Court declared Alexey Navalny's political movement and anti-corruption nonprofits "extremist organizations." Since then, the Russian authorities have been busy launching administrative cases against the Kremlin critic's supporters for "displaying banned symbols" -- including, but not limited to, logos associated with Team Navalny. Because Russia doesn't maintain a list of extremist symbols, these proceedings rely on assessments from expert witnesses. According to lawyers and human rights activists, Russian courts have recently been turning to one witness in particular -- 22-year-old Danila Mikheev, a purported forensic expert who has been denouncing opposition activists since his university days.
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By Nikolai PriserIn June 2021, the Moscow City Court declared Alexey Navalny's political movement and anti-corruption nonprofits "extremist organizations." Since then, the Russian authorities have been busy launching administrative cases against the Kremlin critic's supporters for "displaying banned symbols" -- including, but not limited to, logos associated with Team Navalny. Because Russia doesn't maintain a list of extremist symbols, these proceedings rely on assessments from expert witnesses. According to lawyers and human rights activists, Russian courts have recently been turning to one witness in particular -- 22-year-old Danila Mikheev, a purported forensic expert who has been denouncing opposition activists since his university days.