The prosecutor’s office demands that I/My Furgal be recognized as an extremist movement

The prosecutor of the Khabarovsk region demanded that the public movement “Ya/My Sergey Furgal” be recognized as extremist. The regional court will consider his claim on February 22. The court session will be held in closed session.

Residents of Khabarovsk Krai have been holding actions in support of former governor Sergei Furgal since 2020, when he was arrested on charges of organizing murders 14-16 years ago. Furgal’s supporters consider him innocent, and his persecution is politically motivated. They demanded his release, and also called for the resignation of the current regional and federal authorities.

In Khabarovsk, after the arrest of the governor, mass demonstrations were held weekly for more than six months. People from Khabarovsk still go on single pickets. Many activists were persecuted, fined and arrested.

• Sergey Furgal was detained in July 2020 along with his former business partner Mykola Mystryukov on charges of attempted murder of businessman Alexander Smolsky and the murders of businessmen Evgeny Zora and Oleg Bulatov in 2004-2005. The court sentenced him to 22 years of imprisonment in a colony of strict regime.
• Furgal pleaded not guilty. He considers the victory in the 2018 gubernatorial election, when he defeated the candidate from “Edynoi Rossii” (Furgal is a member of the LDPR), one of the reasons for his persecution. According to Meduza, the case against Furgal is based almost entirely on the testimony of only one witness. It was also reported that the trial was held with violations, the jurors claimed pressure from the judge.