Yura, there is no bias here. The decision simply had to be made, and it was. Although, as I understand it, the issue of unfair play should have been resolved through a general vote. Why did the AC take it upon itself to make this decision?

Well, what other explanation could there be?

Very recently, we witnessed another high-profile case of cheating, which, among other things, served as a practice ground for argumentation techniques, both in defense and accusation. Now, let's compare them point by point:

1) Many players were convinced of Vitalik's cheating (as the poll showed).

Very few are convinced of Alex's cheating. There is no poll, but the discussion on the forum already shows the balance of power.

2) After the investigation into Vitalik's games began, various opinions and stories from the distant past began to emerge en masse, with many unexpected arguments in favor of the accusation from different people.

After the investigation into Alex's games began, a wave of "what are you guys smoking?" emerged, with the sentiment that "Alex is a good guy." Moreover, no similar and previously unknown stories have surfaced.

3) In Vitalik's case, the arguments for the accusation were quite numerous, and many of them were never answered, and where they were, it seemed more like a stretch.

In Alex's case, it's exactly the opposite - the arguments for the accusation are clearly contrived, and many of the counter-arguments for the defense remain unanswered (there are no answers to them).

4) The decision on Vitalik was made after a very long debate, with many arguments being heard and confirmed/refuted. And only when the discussion began to subside due to a lack of new information was the decision made.

The decision on Alex was made unexpectedly quickly, just like in a military tribunal. Three people conferred and decided. Moreover, I think the decision would have been made much earlier if it hadn't been for the wave of public discontent. In the initial posts, the AC had the idea that "well, we've already decided that Alex was cheating, but you can still discuss it a little."

So, where is the impartiality after all this?