Russian court overturns prison term for actor Ustinov following conviction over Moscow protest, issues 1yr suspended sentence

A Russian court has reduced a jail term for young actor Pavel Ustinov to a one-year suspended sentence, after he was earlier convicted of violence against police during an unsanctioned rally in Moscow.

The case garnered a lot of media attention in Russia and abroad after many celebrities and activists came out to support Ustinov and vouch for his innocence. He was due to spend three years and six months in jail, but a Moscow court ruled otherwise on Monday. The actor had earlier been released on bail while waiting for his appeal hearing.

Ustinov, 23, was detained for resisting arrest during an unsanctioned protest in the Russian capital on August 3. He was subsequently charged with dislocating a police officer’s shoulder.

The young man denied causing any intentional harm to the policeman and insisted that he never participated in the protest, but was merely waiting for a friend outside the metro station.

Ustinov’s lawyers heavily criticized the court for initially refusing to review the footage of his arrest and dismissing the testimonies of some witnesses who spoke in his favor. The footage would eventually be reviewed by an upper court judge during the appeal hearing. By that time, the prosecution had changed its mind and requested Ustinov’s prison term be changed to a suspended sentence.

Despite no longer facing any time behind bars, Ustinov plans to launch another appeal in a bid to be acquitted.

Several protests took place in Moscow in late July and early August in support of a group of opposition candidates who were disqualified from running in the city council election over paperwork issues. While some rallies were sanctioned and remained peaceful, others were unauthorized and ended with clashes with police and numerous arrests. 

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