ST. PETERSBURG, October 24 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) – Russian citizen Mikhail Tsakunov, who had been acquitted of assault on a police officer during a protest action, demanded from the state a 2-million-ruble ($31,000) compensation for moral harm caused by illegal prosecution, the United press service of St. Petersburg courts told RAPSI on Thursday.

The amount of sought compensation is reasoned by his over 1-year detention term and several-month travel restrictions.

Defendants were the Finance Ministry of Russia and the Investigative Committee’s Main Investigations Directorate.

The claim is to be heard by the Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg.

Tsakunov was arrested during a protest action near the Hermitage Museum on May 5, 2018. Later in the day, police officer Alexander Sukhorukov filed an application saying that Tsakunov had knocked his tooth out.

The Dzerzhinsky District Court of St. Petersburg found Tsakunov guilty of using force against a representative of authority, fined him 100,000 rubles but released from punishment. The St. Petersburg City Court later overturned the sentence and acquitted the man.