Prague, Sept 21 (CTK) – The Prague Municipal Court did not send yesterday Russian artist Oleg Vorotnikov into custody based on his written promise not to leave the Czech Republic and to attend extradition proceedings, which judge Vladana Woratschova accepted.
An international warrant for the arrest of Vorotnikov, a member of the Voina dissident art group, was issued over some of his activities. He and his wife Natalya Sokol were detained in Prague on Sunday.
They left Russia after the Russian authorities issued a warrant for their arrest over breach of the peace and now, they applied for asylum in Switzerland.
Sokol said it is not ruled out that Vorotnikov will be extradited for prosecution in Russia.
According to CTK’s information, she has already been released and left the Czech Republic.
Vorotnikov must not leave the country and must attend court proceedings.
Russia has announced it was gathering the documents for Vorotnikov’s extradition.
The Russian general prosecutor’s office has confirmed that in Russia, Vorotnikov is facing hooliganism, offence to officials and violence charges. If convicted, he may receive a five-year prison sentence for hooliganism and for violence against officials up to ten years in prison.
Russian law punishes offence to state officials with correctional work.
The Voina group has become known mainly for its work A Phallus Captured by the FSB. In June 2010, it painted a huge phallus on a drawbridge opposite the Sankt Petersburg headquarters of the Russian FSB secret service.
In November 2010, Vorotnikov and another member of Voina, Leonid Nikolayev, were detained over their overturning police cars under the excuse of looking for a lost ball.
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