More than a month has passed since Denis Kaznacheev was arrested by German authorities to be extradited to the U.S. on charges of money laundering and fraudulent web activity. Following a campaign of protests and petitions under the banner Justice for Denis, the Russian DJ and producer will reportedly be released on bail from Berlin prison JVA Moabit.
Kaznacheev still faces extradition, to be sure. The conditions of his bail require that he checks in with Berlin police three times a week and remain within city limits. According to Trommel, his lawyers have requested that the U.S. release the full case details that have been sealed. They hope to set a new precedent that would prevent an individual from being extradited to the U.S. before defending themselves in their home country by invoking European Court of Human Rights‘ Rule 39.
“He still faces extradition and we need to keep on fighting with legal support from Germany and the U.S.,” wrote a spokesperson on behalf of Kaznacheev in a statement. “We’re a step in the right direction and won’t give up until the charges are dropped and Denis is a free man again!”
Friends, colleagues and supporters of Kaznacheev have pushed hard for his fair treatment. His Change.org petition has amassed over 22,000 signatures at the time of writing, and a protest group gathered to demonstrate at JVA Moabit on June 14th. A live stream benefit organized by Serialism and Kōrero also took place at Studio dB in Berlin on July 12th.
No date has been specified for Denis Kaznacheev’s release, so allies still plan to move forward with a second protest outside JVA Moabit on July 18th. Find more information on the Facebook event page, and donate to help cover his expenses via GoFundMe.
