Court finds high treason suspect Davydova’s arrest unlawful

(Interfax – February 16, 2015)

The Moscow City Court on Monday found the arrest of Svetlana Davydova, a resident of the Smolensk region, accused of high treason, unlawful, an Interfax correspondent reported.

Davydova remained under arrest between January 22 and February 3, and was freed with travel restrictions.

Davydova’s defense lawyers had agued from the start that their client’s arrest was unlawful. They also said that Davydova had not been given a chance to sign an agreement with a defense lawyer, and that the defense attorney appointed by the court, did not challenge the arrest, however, her right to have a proper defense must not be infringed upon.

The business daily Kommersant reported on January 29 that a criminal case was started against Davydova after she called the Ukrainian embassy in Moscow and said that the military garrison located near her apartment building looked empty. She also said that the unit’s personnel might have been sent to Ukraine. Moscow’s Lefortovo Court officially confirmed on the same day that Davydova had been placed under arrest until March 19 2015 on high treason charges.

The suspect was freed from custody by the investigator’s decision on February 3. Her prosecution sparked a broad public response. The court freed her from custody on February 3 with travel restrictions, after which she returned to Vyazma.