Head of NGO sentenced in Odesa for calling for coup

A court in Odesa has sentenced a man who had been publicly calling for the overthrow of the government for several years. He distributed anti-Semitic materials and justified Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine.

This is evidenced by the verdict of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa.

As the court found, back in November 2021, the accused, dissatisfied with the current government, began to openly make radical statements. During rallies in the center of Kyiv, he publicly called for a violent change and overthrow of the constitutional order, blocking the work of the Verkhovna Rada and seizing power. The man deliberately recorded his speeches on video and later distributed them through his own Telegram channel, which was available to an unlimited number of users.

A few days after the first rally, he posted a video of his speech on social media, and at the end of November 2021, he spoke again at the rally on Independence Square. There, he repeated calls for the removal of the government, impeachment of the president, and blocking of parliament, and used openly anti-Semitic rhetoric. These speeches were also recorded on video and distributed on the Internet.

In 2022-2023, the man continued his illegal activities in the context of a full-scale war. In his telegram channel, he disseminated publications denying Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, using narratives about the so-called "special operation" and shifting responsibility for the war to the Ukrainian side. Some posts contained images of Ukrainian officials with texts that justified Russia's actions and downplayed its role as an aggressor.

In addition, the investigation proved that the man systematically incited national hatred. He published materials with insults, curses and direct calls for violence against the Jewish community, humiliated national honor and dignity, and used hate speech against government officials and certain groups of the population.

During the trial, the defendant repeatedly disrupted the courtroom, which eventually led to his removal from the proceedings. One of the witnesses said that he had contacted the SBU after seeing publications on social media justifying Russian aggression and calling for hatred and violence.

The court found the man guilty of public calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order, repeated dissemination of such materials, justification of Russia's armed aggression and incitement to national hatred. The final sentence is seven years in prison, confiscation of all property in favor of the state, and a ban on holding any positions related to public authority for three years.

According to the Chesno Movement, this is Pavlo Yarosh. He is known for participating in anti-vaccination rallies, anti-Semitic actions, and attempts to organize a protest against the law on the land market. Previously, he headed the NGO Ukraine Above All, which was later banned by the court for pro-Russian activities.

In 2020, he ran for the Verkhovna Rada in Kirovohrad region and was also a candidate for Odesa city and district councils from the party of former Odesa mayor Eduard Hurvits. In 2023, Yarosh appealed to the SBU to open a criminal case against President Zelensky under the article on treason.

Also, as previously reported by Intent, in 2023, Pavlo Yarosh applied for the position of the head of the regional humanitarian headquarters in Odesa region.

Анна Бальчінос