Mark Feygin

Mark Feygin

Mark Feygin
Born

3 June 1971 (1971-06-03) (age 45)

[1]
Samara, Russia
Nationality Russian
Occupation lawyer, politician
Known for State Duma deputy, defense of Pussy Riot

Mark Feygin (born 3 June 1971)[1] is a Russian lawyer and politician. He served from January 1994 to December 1995 as a deputy of the State Duma and was the vice mayor of Samara.[2] In 2011 and 2012, Feygin was active in opposition to President Vladimir Putin, and announced that he was forming an opposition party.[3][4]

Biography

In 1995 he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Samara State University. He was one of the leaders of the democratic movement in Samara, co-chairman of the regional organization of the movement Democratic Russia.

In 1993-1996 Feygin served as the Deputy of the State Duma from the fraction of Vybor Rossii, one of the authors and developers of the first edition of the Federal Law About General Principles of Local Government in Russian Federation. In 1995 he took a part in parliamentary groups participated in humanitarian missions during the combat operations in the North Caucasus. In 1996 he was also the editor in chief of the daily newspaper "CHISLA" published in Samara.[5]

In 2000 he graduated from the Institute of Business Administration, Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation (Moscow), faculty of "Strategic Management". In 2002 - the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Feygin is the author of more than 20 scientific publications in the theme of municipal law and a number of monographs - The constitutional foundations of local government in the Russian Federation, The codification of the laws on local government in the Russian Federation, textbook State power and local self-government.

In 2012, Feygin served as one of three lawyers for Pussy Riot, a punk band arrested for an unauthorized performance in Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior.[6][7] The band's trial became an international cause célèbre during their trial on charges of hooliganism.[8] On 1 October 2012, an appellate hearing was postponed in the Moscow City Court after band member Yekaterina Samutsevich informed a panel of three judges that she wished to terminate the representation of her defense attorneys, stating, "My position in the criminal case does not coincide with their position."[9] Samutsevich's new lawyer, Irina Khrunova, argued that her client had not in fact committed the acts of hooliganism in the church as she was prevented from accessing the soleas by church security. The court appeared to accept this argument, and released Samutsevich on two years probation. However, the judges rejected the appeals of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, upholding their convictions and sentences.[10][11]

On 19 November, Feygin and the two other lawyers for Pussy Riot withdrew from the case prior to Tolokonnikova's appeal, stating that they felt the court would be more likely to grant it if they were no longer a part of the defense.[12] Samutsevich criticized the original legal team for allegedly using the trial for personal publicity rather than securing the release of the defendants.[13] On 21 November, Samutsevich's lawyer told the press that Samutsevich was considering requesting that Feygin and the other original lawyers be disbarred for failing to return her passport and other belongings.[7] Feygin responded via Twitter that Samutsevich was part of a "defamation campaign organized by the authorities", while another member of the legal team, Violeta Volkova, responded that the claims were "part of an agreement that allowed her to break free of the case".[7] On 21 January 2013, Feygin, Volkova, and Nicholas Polozov filed suit against Khrunova and Kommersant for defamation.[14] This suit was rejected by the Tverskoi District Court on 20 August 2013.[15]

Feygin also defended Leonid Razvozzhayev, an opposition political aide who accused Russian authorities of having kidnapped him from Kiev, Ukraine to face terrorism charges.[16]

Since 11 June 2014 Feygin also defended Nadiya Savchenko, an Ukrainian air-force pilot who was captured by pro-Russian insurgents during the 2014 insurgency in Donbass (in eastern Ukraine) and who was charged and held in Russia with the killing of two Russian journalists.[17][18]

References

  1. 1 2 Биография (in Russian). feygin.ru. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  2. ↑ "How the Pussy Riot Girls Trial Fell Apart". The Daily Beast. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  3. ↑ James Brooke (11 June 2012). "Russian Police Raid Opposition Leaders' Homes Ahead of Protest". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "Poor Election Showing by Russia's Ruling Party Creates Hurtles for Putin". State News Service  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . 6 December 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  5. ↑ "Biography of mark Feygin". obeschania.ru. 8 October 2015. Retrieved October 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. ↑ "Anti-Putin Pussy Riot band members get 2 years in prison". CBC.ca. 17 August 2012. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Natalya Krainova (21 November 2012). "Samutsevich Threatens Past Pussy Riot Lawyers". The Moscow Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "The Pussy Riot act". The Financial Times. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012. (registration required)
  9. ↑ David M. Herszenhorn (1 October 2012). "Moscow Court Postpones Pussy Riot Hearing". Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2012.
  10. ↑ James Brooke (10 October 2012). "Russia Frees One Punk Rocker, Keeps Two in Jail". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  11. ↑ "One of three Pussy Riot band members freed". gazeta.ru. 10 October 2012. Archived from the original on 1 November 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Pussy Riot attorneys terminate agreement with band members". RAPSI. 19 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  13. ↑ David Wagner (21 November 2012). "What Pussy Riot's New Path to Freedom Looks Like". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 21 November 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  14. ↑ "Бывшие адвокаты Pussy Riot подали иск к "Коммерсанту" и Хруновой" (in Russian). Lenta. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  15. ↑ "Former Pussy Riot lawyers' defamation suit rejected". RAPSI. 20 August 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Kathy Lally (26 October 2012). "Russia accused of kidnapping". The Washington Post.  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  17. ↑ Ukraine conflict: Russia charges pilot over deaths, BBC News (9 July 2014)
    Russia Charges Ukrainian Pilot Savchenko Over Journalists' Deaths, NBC News (9 July 2014)
  18. ↑ (Ukrainian) Defender "Pussy Riot" became a lawyer pilots Nadiya, Ukrayinska Pravda (11 July 2014)
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