Date set for Russian art activist Pyotr Pavlensky trial

Preliminary hearings in the criminal case against Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky will begin on 28 April, according to his lawyer, Dmitry Dinze.

Pavlensky set fire to the entrance of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) on 9 November 2015 in an artistic action against the organisation. The criminal charges against him have been changed from “vandalism” to “damaging a cultural heritage site”. Last month Pavlensky was declared sane following an assessment at a psychiatric hospital.

Known for his violent artistic actions, in 2012 Pavlensky sewed his mouth shut in protest against the detention of Russian punk group Pussy Riot, while in November 2013 he nailed his scrotum to the ground on Red Square.

Source: Radio Free Europe