Is Nemtsov justified by the court?

At the Presnya district court in Moscow, the magistrate ruled on a case against Boris Nemtsov, who is accused of disobeying the lawful demands of the police during The Day of the Russian Flag march on August 22. In the ruling, the judge stated that the materials submitted by law enforcement agency presented insufficient evidence to prove Nemtsov’s guilt. His lawyer Vadim Prokhorov called the judge’s decision an “actual acquittal.” Nemtsov himself, who is one of the opposition movement Solidarity leaders, said the judge’s decision strengthened his determination to hold marches with Russian flags, not only on Flag Day, but on other days, too. In addition to the Presnya court hearing, another hearing with similar accusations against the politician was scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the Zamoskvoretsky district court, which had to consider the case started after the meeting on Triumph Square on July 31. However, this hearing was postponed to September 2. In Russia, acquittals remain a rarity. Formally, there was also no acquittal verdict in the Nemtsov case, but it seemed highly unlikely that police would be able to revive the case, said Vadim Prokhorov.