Defendant in controversial ‘New Greatness’ extremism case files lawsuit for illegal detention

On Monday, July 20, Anna Pavlikova, one of the defendants in the controversial “Novoe Velichie” (New Greatness) extremism case, filed a five-million-ruble ($70,550) lawsuit against the Russian state for illegally holding her in pre-trial detention in 2018.

“The illegality of my client’s arrest was recognized by the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation, and subsequently, by the Moscow City Court. She was a minor at the time of imprisonment and she had a lot of very serious chronic illnesses. After the pre-trial detention center, many of them became worse,” stated Pavlikova’s lawyer, Olga Karlova.

Anna Pavlikova was held in a pre-trial detention center between March and August 2018, after which she was transferred to house arrest. 

During the most recent hearing of the “New Greatness” case on July 14, the prosecution requested a four years probation sentence for Pavlikova on charges of involvement in organizing an illegal extremist group.