Slepakov asked through a lawyer to terminate his criminal case in absentia.
Showman and comedian Semyon Slepakov (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent) asked to end the criminal case in absentia on evading the duties of a foreign agent in relation to him, as he does not understand the charge. On August 7, a correspondent of Izvestia reported from the courtroom, the defendant made a statement through his lawyer.
Slepakov's guilt was not discussed at the meeting. The defense of the foreign agent objected to the consideration of the criminal case without the appearance of the defendant. However, the court did not accept the objection, noting that the case would be considered in absentia.
According to the lawyers, Slepakov has not lived in Russia for more than three years, has not received subpoenas from the court and has not been questioned. He does not understand the accusation, so he "does not consider it necessary to defend himself against an accusation that he does not understand."
"He finds it impossible to defend himself against an unformulated accusation. He considers his criminal prosecution illegal, and the criminal case is subject to termination," said the defender.
On July 9, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Russia completed the investigation of the criminal case against Slepakov, accused of failing to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent. The investigation found that Slepakov was brought to administrative responsibility twice during the year.
On February 9, the Moscow Prosecutor's Office sent materials to the investigative authorities to initiate a criminal case against Slepakov. The agency pointed out that since October 2025, while outside of Russia, Slepakov continued to distribute materials on social networks without necessarily marking the status of a foreign agent.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
