Court Slighted Sentences for Cemetery Photo Shoot
In the end, Panteleeva's suspended sentence was reduced by four months (to one year and eight months), Gumenyuk's by three months (to one year and three months), Rozhkova's by four months (to one year and eight hours), and Evsyukhin's by two months (to one year and four months).
Consensus
- The Saint Petersburg City Court reviewed appeals in the case of participants in a photo shoot at the Bolshoyokhtinskoye Cemetery.
- All four defendants—Anastasia Pantaleeva, Yaroslava Gumenyaya, Kristina Rozhkova, and Sergey Evstukhin—were originally sentenced to suspended prison terms in February.
- The court reduced the suspended sentences for all four defendants.
- The charge of insulting religious feelings was dismissed due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
- The conviction for desecration of burial sites was upheld.
- Aggravating circumstances, including public demonstration, were removed.
- Mandatory labor was eliminated from the sentences.
- The photo shoot took place in June 2024.
- The photos showed two semi-nude women tied to a grave marker and a cross.
- The photos were published on Anastasia Pantaleeva’s Instagram page.
- The case was initiated after the photos were noticed by Vladislav Pozdnyakov, founder of 'Muzhskoye Gosudarstvo', and reported by Timur Bulatov.
- The defendants were detained in June 2024, with some released under house arrest or bail in July and August 2024.
Points of divergence
- The court fully acquitted the defendants of the charge of insulting religious feelings due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, and excluded punishment under the combined crimes and aggravating circumstances. — fontanka
- The court excluded aggravating circumstances and exempted the defendants from mandatory labor, but did not explicitly state that the charge of insulting religious feelings was dismissed on statute of limitations grounds. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The court explicitly stated that the charge of insulting religious feelings was dropped due to the expiration of the statute of limitations. — tg_paperpaper_ru
- The defendants' defense argued that the photos were for personal use, not public distribution, and that there was no intent to offend religious feelings. — fontanka
- The defense emphasized the lack of direct intent, the defendants' clean records, and the disputability of expert conclusions. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The defense argued that only the expert who conducted the analysis was offended, and that there were no actual victims. — tg_paperpaper_ru
- The defendants personally supported their defense in their final statement and apologized. — fontanka
- Anastasia Pantaleeva expressed relief after the verdict was announced. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The Memorial human rights organization labeled the defendants as political prisoners. — tg_paperpaper_ru
- The prosecution requested real prison sentences of 1.5 to 2.5 years and a ban on managing websites. — fontanka
- The prosecution requested real sentences and increased community service, claiming the original sentence failed to restore social justice. — tg_sotavisionmedia
- The prosecution did not request a ban on managing websites. — tg_paperpaper_ru
Coverage (3 sources)
- Participants of Shibari photoshoot at Bolsho-okhtinskoye cemetery given lighter sentences — Фонтанка
- In St. Petersburg, sentence for participants of erotic photoshoot at Bolshoexhtinskoye Cemetery was softened — SOTAvision
- Court reduced sentences for photoshoot at cemetery — Бумага