A Russian opposition Communist Get together MP has been charged with illegally looking an elk final month.
Valery Rashkin – a well known Kremlin critic – faces a superb of as much as 1 million rubles (€12,000) and 5 years in jail if convicted.
The 66-year-old MP had his parliamentary immunity lifted final month amid the pending costs.
Rashkin was arrested in October after police stated they discovered an elk carcass within the trunk of his car in Russia’s Saratov area.
Authorities stated the MP didn’t personal a looking license and have additionally accused Rashkin of driving whereas intoxicated.
Rashkin, who at first denied taking pictures the elk, admitted to killing an animal however has denied breaking the regulation. He has additionally said that the case in opposition to him is politically motivated.
The Communist Get together MP additionally faces administrative costs after refusing to take a medical examination when he was arrested.
Prosecutor Normal Igor Krasnov stated Rashkin was emitting was a “pungent scent of alcohol” and denied any political motivations for the costs.
Russia’s high investigative physique has reportedly requested a courtroom to impose a curfew on Rashkin and forestall him from speaking with others implicated within the case.
However some Russian media say that Rashkin is going through costs attributable to his frequent criticism of the Kremlin and help for jailed Russian opposition chief Alexei Navalny.
In September, Rashkin was amongst a number of Communist Get together members who protested alleged on-line voting fraud in Moscow throughout Russia’s parliamentary and native elections.
