The story goes back to October 2012. Celebrating the multi-religious Murmansk city birthday, its main square turned into the place of an orthodox Divine Liturgy ceremony. Tatiana was one of the citizens, who found the event inappropriate for Russia as a secular state. They visited the event with single-person pickets.
The young girl held a poster saying: “The Russian Federation is a secular state. None of the religions can be appointed as an official or obligatory, article 14.1 of the Russian constitution”.
From the Orthodox Ceremony on the central square of Murmansk (Photo: Gleb Paykachev, 7x7)
Two months later the police got interested in the case, which is now in the court. The activists are being blamed of organizing a general action, not the single-person picket. Police believes the main idea of the action was to protest against the Russian Orthodox Church.
“When the court session started yesterday, I asked for a public defender, as the penalty can be up to 30,000 rubles (€ 750) or up to 50 hours of public works, - Tatiana tells the BarentsObserver. - The judge decided I should find the defender and cover the expenses by my own financial means, and adjourned the court session to the 6th of May”.
The activist believes the court case against her is made out of thin air. “Even the protocol was made two months after the picket, although the law says it must be done two days after as the latest”, - she says.
