SOTA’s editor Darya Poryadina has filed an appeal with Elena Kudryashova, the Northern Arctic Federal University’s principal, and human rights advocates. The journalist asked for the opportunity to graduate from the university remotely. Law enforcement agencies began putting pressure on the university’s management to expel Poryadina when she left Russia after being searched. The young woman reported this to 7x7.
Darya Poryadina said that NAFU had not allowed her to switch to distance learning after she had left Russia with her boyfriend Alexander Peskov. At the end of March, the couple was searched in the case of extremism in connection with Alexei Navalny’s activities. Peskov is the former head of Navalny's headquarters* in Arkhangelsk. After the searches, a criminal case was opened against him for insulting a security officer, and the young people left Russia.
According to her, law enforcement officers began putting pressure on the university’s management so that the young woman would be expelled if she did not return to Russia. Poryadina is supposed to complete her fourth year of journalism at NAFU in three months. The young woman filed an appeal with Principal Elena Kudryashova and asked to transfer her to distance learning. In addition, Poryadina appealed to human rights advocates to help her.
In addition to Poryadina and Peskov, other Arkhangelsk activists were also searched in the Navalny case. Security forces came to activist Ilya Leshukov, ex-coordinator of Navalny's local headquarters* Elizaveta Bychkova and social activist Olga Shkolina, who supports political prisoners.
