Cellist is arrested in Moscow, charged with ‘organising a rally’

Cellist is arrested in Moscow, charged with ‘organising a rally’

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norman lebrecht

June 22, 2016

More signs of nervous crackdown in Russia.

A cellist, Semyon Lashkin, was sitting on a street bench practising a few summer riffs with a couple of pals when police seized him and his cello and swept them off to the cells.

Semyon has been charged with organising a public rally (Art. 20.2.2, p. Ako 1) and could be hit with a hefty fine.

He was released after midnight but his cello has been kept as evidence.

Semyon, 27, has gone on Facebook to protest his arrest.

There is video showing the street was empty at the time.

Please share this information widely to help Semyon regain his cello and his clean police record.

 

semyon lakshin

 

 

Comments

  • EricB says:

    Well, what else can you expect from Russia ? The Soviet mafia has been replaced (when it’s not the same) by the Putin mafia… And it’s NOT going to get any better.

  • Steven Honigberg says:

    This guy can really play. No hint of a Russian accent in his voice though. Perhaps he is not Russian. What was he doing that was against the law?

  • MacroV says:

    Hopefully Putin, lauded by some here as a great patron of the arts, will come to his aid.

  • Neil van der Linden says:

    Not to be confused with that other Russian cellist, the one who collects the money that is to be transferred to that bank in Panama.

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