St Petersburg philosopher and theologian remanded in custody over donations to Anti-Corruption Foundation
Igor Zaitsev, a lecturer at the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy, was remanded in custody on 13 August over donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation, Mediazona reported.
Investigators cited Igor Zaitsev’s ‘connections with non-governmental organisations in NATO countries, a visa for EU countries and plans to attend a conference in Italy’ as grounds for his detention. His lawyer asked for house arrest and submitted a medical certificate stating that Igor Zaitsev’s wife has cancer.
Igor Zaitsev is accused of financing extremist activity under Part 1 of Article 282.3 of the Russian Criminal Code. According to investigators, he had signed up to make regular donations to the Anti-Corruption Foundation and transferred a total of 3,500 roubles (≈€36) to the organisation.
The lecturer was detained on 12 August. St Petersburg police published a video of the search of his flat, while the Baza Telegram channel published his responses to questions from law enforcement officers.
— I personally supported Aleksei Navalny because I believed that his anti-corruption work was a positive thing.
— After the organisation was designated as extremist, did you continue to support it?
— I don’t remember that. Most likely not.
— Did you support any other organisations besides the Anti-Corruption Foundation?
— Do you remember that RosYama story? Maybe I supported RosYama, who knows, I don’t remember. …You asked a specific question, and I answered it. If you broaden it to mean that I supported everything Alexei Navalny did, no, that’s not the case.
— Did you support Aleksei Navalny’s YouTube channel?
— I didn’t pay any money to Aleksei Navalny’s YouTube channel.
— Do you receive emails thanking you for supporting this foundation? What can you say about this?
— As far as I know, they send informational emails not in response to my donations, but simply because my address is in their email database.
Igor Zaitsev is 58. He holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in philosophy and has collaborated with the Stasis Centre for Practical Philosophy at the European University in St Petersburg. He is deputy dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies at the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy named after F. M. Dostoevsky.
