Pyotr Pavlensky unexpectedly received a lenient sentence for publishing a pornographic politician

Why did they feel sorry for the actionist?

Pyotr Pavlensky is a famous provocateur. He is famous for actions during which he wrapped himself in barbed wire, sewed up his mouth, and nailed his own scrotum to the paving stones of Red Square. Whatever the story is, it’s a scandal with political overtones. He left for Paris in 2017, when actress Anastasia Slonina accused Pavlensky of attempted rape. There, the actionist first set fire to a bank, and then started an affair with Alexandra de Taddeo, on whose laptop he discovered a video with another lover, Benjamin Griveaux, who was just then running for mayor of Paris. An intimate recording ruined the politician’s career. However, Pyotr Pavlensky and his girlfriend got off with a relatively mild suspended sentence.

The actionist with a controversial reputation treated the court without much respect, arriving an hour late for the hearing. He called the publication of intimate information on his website called “Pornopolitique,” ​​where Pavlensky denounced politicians, an artistic action. And he said that Benjamin Griveaux lies to his voters, talking about the importance of family values, his beautiful family, but in real life he does not do what he says.

The investigation and trial in the case lasted two years, starting in 2020. As a result, Pavlensky was given a suspended sentence of six months, ordered to wear an electronic bracelet and pay a fine of 15,000 euros. His girlfriend Alexandra de Taddeo also received a six-month suspended sentence and was fined 5,000 euros, despite the fact that she claimed that she did not give permission to publish the video and did not show it to Pavlensky, he found it himself on her computer and copied it without asking.

In fact, for violating privacy, an actionist could receive up to two years of real, rather than suspended, prison time. So, despite his impudent behavior at trial, Pavlensky was given a rather lenient sentence. In addition, they will have to pay compensation to Benjamin Griveaux – in the amount of 150 thousand euros.

“This measure was probably taken taking into account the fact that the trial lasted two years – that’s a long time,” says lawyer Yulia Verbitskaya. – This is an average measure. He actually committed an illegal act by collecting information that constituted personal secrets and confidential information. He made it public and it doesn’t matter who the person in the video is. It is prohibited by the Criminal Code to commit such actions in relation to any person. If Pavlensky had been a journalist and had, for example, posted information about the machinations of a politician, then a criminal case would have been opened against the person who committed them.

Perhaps the court really made a “discount” due to the fact that the trial and investigation took two years. Or maybe he feels sympathy for the activist whose video exposed the duplicity of the now ex-candidate for mayor. Pyotr Pavlensky did not challenge the verdict.