On January 31, 2014, Alexei Navalny published a petition to Russian authorities he had made asking for permission to travel to Sochi to conduct research for his website and his blog. He described the extensive evidence of corruption he had found in Olympic construction projects (in a project translated by The Interpreter) and asked for permission to visit the region, since the terms of his release pending his trial involve a bar on his travel. He received a reply from the investigator today. – Ed.
I received this today.
I won’t get to see the Olympics and the amazing Olympic buildings. There are no valid reasons for this:
Decree
On the Total Rejection of Satisfaction of a Petition
City of Moscow
07 February 2014
V.V. Lebedev, senior lieutenant of justice, investigator of the investigative group of the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, having reviewed the petition of the accused, A.A. Navalny and his attorney V.D. Kobzev in criminal case No. 201/460711-12
RESOLVED:
Criminal Case No. 201/460711-12, charging A.A. Navalny and O.A. Navalny in commission of crimes stipulated under par. 4, Art. 159, par. 4, Art. 159, para “a” part 2, Art. 174.1 of the Russian Federation Criminal Code is being investigated by the Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
On 04.02.2014 a petition from the accused A.A. Navalny and his attorney V.D. Kobzev on permission for the accused A.A. Navalny to enter the city of Sochi of Krasnodar Territory during the period of the holding of the 2014 Winter Olympics was received at the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
Having reviewed the petition, the investigation has come to the conclusion that satisfaction must be rejected in total on the following grounds.
On 17.12.212, the suspect A.A. Navalny was placed under measures of restraint in the form of a signed pledge not to travel and maintain appropriate behavior, under which the accused A.A. Navalny is obliged not to leave his permanent or temporary place of residence without permission from the investigator, and to appear at the appointed time in reply to summons from the investigator, and also in no way obstruct the conduct of the criminal case.
The preliminary investigative agency does not find any valid reasons in the petition for the travel of the accused A. A. Navalny beyond the bounds of the city of Moscow to the municipality of the resort city of Sochi of the Krasnodar Territory, which indicates the absence of reasons for issuing him permission to leave his permanent place of residence in the city of Moscow.
Taking into account the above referenced, the satisfaction of the petition of A.A. Navalny and his attorney V.D. Kobzev must be completely rejected.
On the basis of the above stated and guided by Art. 122, Art. 159 of the Code of Criminal Procedures of the Russian Federation,
RESOLVED:
1. To completely reject the satisfaction of the petition of the accused A.A. Navalny and his attorney V.D. Kobzev regarding permission to travel to the municipality of the city resort of Sochi, Krasnodar Territory.
2. To notify the accused A.A. Navalny and his attorney V.D. Kobzev of the decision taken and to explain to them that it may be appealed through the procedure established in Chapter 16 of the Code of Criminal Procedures of the Russian Federation.
/V.V. Lebedev/
V.V. Lebedev
Investigator of the Investigative Group of the Main Investigative Directorate