New false denunciation charges brought against opposition activist in Russia

Investigators have brought new charges of false denunciation against State Duma lawmaker aide Leonid Razvozzhayev, who is also accused of planning riots in Russia, the press service of the Investigative Committee /SK/ told Itar-Tass on Thursday. "He has denied his guilt and refused to answer the investigator's questions," the SK said. Razvozzhayev was charged under Article 306 of Russia's penal code /false denunciation/. Earlier, his lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky said the case was opened over Razvozzhayev's statement at a hearing at Moscow's Basmanny court, where Razvozzhayev accused Bryansk-based investigator Dmitry Pleshivtsev of trying to talk him into testifying in the Bolotnaya riots case. Razvozzhayev is a suspect in the criminal case over preparations to stage mass riots. The case was opened after a check into the film Anatomy of Protest - 2. Other suspects in the case are Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov and his aide Konstantin Lebedev. Udaltsov is on recognizance. Lebedev and Razvozzhayev have been placed under arrest. The men are facing up to five years in jail. The second case against Razvozzhayev was opened over a robbery in Angarsk in 1997. Both cases were pooled into one. The third criminal case against Razvozzhayev was opened over illegal border crossing on October 15, 2012.