Moscow Court Postpones Appeal Hearing In Jailed Journalist's Case

By RFE/RL's Russian Service

MOSCOW -- The Moscow City Court has postponed the hearing of an appeal challenging a 15-day jail sentence against prominent journalist Ilya Azar.

Lawyer Leonid Solovyov of the Apology of Protest group said that the hearing was moved from June 1 to June 5. He did not provide any details.

Azar, a 35-year-old Moscow legislator and journalist for the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, was sentenced on May 28 after being convicted of repeatedly violating Russia's strict protest laws.

Azar was detained on May 26 for holding a single-person picket, a form of protest that does not require obtaining preliminary permission from the authorities, to protest against the jailing of Vladimir Vorontsov, an activist who has worked to expose violations within Russia's law enforcement agencies.

Police said Azar was detained for violating the lockdown imposed to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Dozens of his supporters, including a State Duma member, several municipal lawmakers, and journalists, were detained in Moscow and St. Petersburg on May 29 while holding single-person protests in his support.