Translated material
Strengths and means
The trial in the scandalous case of beating in Sokolniki has begun in Moscow
The Preobrazhensky District Court of Moscow yesterday began the hearing of the case of Vsevolod Ostapov, accused of using violence against a police officer from the Sokolniki police station. This case is the only one after the loud scandal of the brutal beating of several young people, including minors, in April last year at the police department, which at one time became the cause of spontaneous rallies against “police lawlessness.” Among those beaten then was Vsevolod Ostapov, and yesterday he testified, but not as a victim, but as a defendant, and again told the terrible details of that April evening. But employees of the Sokolniki police department assure that nothing like this has ever happened in their department and could not happen. And three interrogated witnesses, employees of this department, yesterday outlined their version of what happened, although they did not remember the details well, and their testimonies differed in many respects.The charge against Ostapov, according to prosecutor Rusanova, sounded like this yesterday. “On April 4, 2008, at approximately 20.00, Ostapov “in a public place, at the entrance to the Sokolniki metro station, with the intent to cause harm to health, not dangerous to life and health,” attacked a policeman of the PPSM of the Sokolniki Department of Internal Affairs, senior sergeant Vladimir Tarasov , “accompanying his actions with obscene language, sprayed him in the face from a gas canister and kicked him in the groin.” After this, Ostapov “was detained and taken to the Sokolniki police station.”
The defendant Ostapov, a slender 20-year-old youth, did not admit guilt and immediately outlined his version of what happened. He said that on that day, April 4, at about six o’clock in the evening, he arrived at the Sokolniki metro station to meet friends and take a walk in the park. For about an hour, he stood in the company of friends near the metro, waiting for the others. By that time, there were already about 20 young people. Seva, together with his friend Semyon Ovcharenko, went to the tent, bought a bottle of beer and had just opened it when two policemen - Tarasov and Fetisov - approached him.
“They said that they were detaining me for beer and offered to go to the police station,” the young man told the court. - And I knew that there is no ban on drinking beer on the street. Yes, I didn’t drink it, which was later confirmed by an examination. But just in case, I immediately threw the full bottle into the trash. I asked the policemen to introduce themselves because their PPS badges were hidden in their breast pockets and because this was required by law. I also asked them to name the article of the Administrative Code on the basis of which they wanted to detain me. But they didn’t answer, but immediately grabbed and dragged.”
According to Seva’s story, his friends also began shouting for the police to introduce themselves and tell them on what basis their comrade was being detained, but they allegedly responded with “cursing and obscenities.” “They held my hands, and I had absolutely no way to spray from the can or even get it out of my backpack, because I just couldn’t move,” Seva said. And then “reinforcements” arrived in several cars, which Tarasov called, and the policemen who ran out from there began to deal blows to the crowd - with their hands, feet, batons and stun guns, they knocked them to the ground, and beat their heads on the asphalt. Tarasov himself, according to the defendant, left.
As a result, several young people were taken to the Sokolniki police station. “When they brought me into the department, I saw Ivan Pavlov lying on the floor covered in blood. They forced me to step over him and led me down the corridor,” the defendant said. “They beat Kirill Koryazin in the corner, and then they took him away somewhere, shouting and swearing. On the bench next to him sat another young man who constantly complained of pain in his eyes from the gas. Ovcharenko and I were placed facing the wall. And everyone who passed by us, from privates to majors, considered it their duty to hit either a baton or their head against the wall.” Next, the young man told how the police broke a stool over Oleg Dobrazhensky’s head, and then beat him in the corner. He also told about how he himself was taken down to the armory room, and there “six policemen beat him, and the major dictated to his subordinate that he should write in the report that I allegedly sprayed Tarasov in the face with a spray can.” After the execution, all the young people were collected and taken to City Hospital No. 33, the doctors were told that they had fought among themselves, and were ordered to provide a certificate of injuries. “We were forced to carry Kirill Koryazin, who suffered a heart attack in the police department. Then the police threw him in the courtyard of some hospital,” the defendant said. - They conducted an examination for alcohol intoxication - everyone turned out to be sober. From the hospital they brought me back to the department. And again they started beating me and forcing me to sign some papers. I noticed that one of the documents was a protocol on seizure, and the other was about an administrative offense, but I did not see which one. And they forced me to sign another blank sheet.”
The detainees were released at one o'clock in the morning. The young people tried to get copies of certificates from Hospital No. 33, but they refused. I had to go to the emergency room to get the beatings removed. Protocols to the police department were drawn up regarding petty hooliganism, but none of the suspected “hooligans” received any subpoenas, and the court did not subsequently issue any decisions.
After the interrogation of the defendant, the interrogation of prosecution witnesses began. Yesterday three employees of the Sokolniki police department came to court. The gist of their testimony was as follows. On April 4, they received a signal about a mass fight near the Sokolniki metro station. The arriving policemen saw the crowd, as well as their colleague Tarasov, covering his face with his hands because of the gas that had gotten into his face. Several people were detained. They drew up reports, conducted an examination, and then released everyone. There was no pressure, no special equipment was used, and if anyone beat anyone, it was the guys themselves who beat each other.
“I don’t remember the details,” 39-year-old police officer Evgeniy Kartashov, who was on duty that day, told the court when asked what he could tell about this case. -- A signal was received on “02” about a mass fight at Sokolniki. All forces and means were directed. Then the detainees began to be taken to the police department. When Tarasov arrived, he rubbed his eyes and explained that it was from a gas canister. After that, administrative protocols began to be drawn up with people.” The witness claimed that he did not hear any screams or noise and did not even see anything, because he was forced to answer phone calls all the time: “After their delivery, calls began pouring in, and they introduced themselves as journalists and deputies of the Moscow City Duma. I didn’t even go out to people. Then all efforts were thrown into processing, because within three hours it was necessary to register everyone.”
The court had to read Kartashov’s testimony given during the investigation, because the witness forgot a lot. For example, then he said about the detainees: “By their appearance, they made it clear that they belonged to informal youth organizations. He understood this from his clothes, shoes and hairstyles. Some had their hair dyed.” In addition, he saw that there were abrasions on them, from which he “concluded that there had been a fight.” And he also testified that “handcuffs and special sambo techniques were used against the guys because they resisted.”
The deputy head of the police department, Major Vasily Veryasov, in turn, clearly reported that on April 4 he was responsible for the police department and, having received a message about a mass fight, “gave the command to send all the squads there.” Near the metro he saw a crowd of young people and Tarasov, who was “holding his face,” complained about the gas canister and pointed at Ostapov. “There was no pressure on anyone. Moreover, I even ordered that someone from the Preobrazhensk prosecutor’s office come. And someone came, but I don’t remember who,” said Veryasov. “I didn’t see any bodily injuries.” And the police didn’t have batons, they didn’t have handcuffs and they didn’t have stun guns.”
A policeman from the immediate response group, Vladimir Goryachkin, told the court that he also saw a group of young people near the metro. “They were shouting something. "Power to fascism!" and something else,” he said and then confirmed the testimony given at the investigation that the guys at the metro were “drinking alcohol,” “swearing obscenely,” and they had “multi-colored hair and high boots.” And the police, according to him, had “body armor, rubber batons and helmets.”
At this point, the meeting ended, and the next one will take place on December 17, at which the interrogation of witnesses should continue and at which, perhaps, the victim, who has not yet appeared in court, saying he is ill, will come.