Translated material
How we went to see Vadim Korovin in a special detention center
On June 12, after the march in defense of the Bolotnaya prisoners, a small company of us went to Istra. The day before, FAR activist Vadim Korovin was brought to a special detention center to serve 10 days of administrative arrest for “disobedience to a police officer.”
It seems that the head of the Department of Internal Affairs for the Istra district, police colonel Igor Vasilyev, was waiting for us: on a holiday he was at his workplace, without a uniform. At the same time, there was a police car at the turn to the Department of Internal Affairs building, which, as the locals explained, usually does not happen. At the entrance we were greeted strictly but politely. All employees, although without much desire, introduced themselves at our request. The duty officer reported to the high authorities about the visit of our delegation, and he said that he was ready to meet, but only with one of us. After consulting, they decided to send me. The inspector of the patrol service, Senior Lieutenant Mayorov, and the head of the criminal investigation department, police major Ravil Kadyrov, escorted me to the chief’s office.
Me: Hello, Igor Nikolaevich, happy holiday to you. Can I take a photo of you for the story?
Q: You are in an official institution.
Me: And?
Q: Therefore, video filming is prohibited here. We have a sensitive facility.
Me: Well, as I understand it, you, a police representative, must, by law, conduct your activities openly and publicly.
Q: I agree with you. Therefore, if there is a need, I will be on the street after some time, and I will gladly agree for you to click on me there. (later Vasiliev will rush past us, standing at the entrance to the territory of the Department of Internal Affairs, in a car, without stopping) . But photography is prohibited here.
Me: May I know who is prohibited?
Q: I say again, this is a sensitive facility here, photo and video shooting is prohibited.
Me: So who? Or what law, order?
Q: Let's do it this way. If you are interested, write me a written statement, I will answer. Fine?
Me: Well, do you understand that now you are limiting the work of a journalist?
Q: No, let's get to know each other first.
Me: My name is Svetlana.
B: Very nice. My name is Igor. Nikolaevich. Last name: Vasiliev. Do you have any documents?
Me: Yes, of course. But I presented my passport at the entrance, all my data was copied by your employees (I present my passport) .
V: And they did the right thing. But in order to communicate with you normally, I need to call you by your first name and patronymic. So (examines my passport) . Svetlana Vladimirovna. Do you have a phone number for contact? It doesn’t matter to me, anyone – home, work, mobile.
Me: (Dictate phone number) . Can you tell me your phone number too, please?
B: (Says his work number).
Me: Tell me, do you always work on weekends? Workaholic?
Q: Almost regularly. But, in general, I wanted to leave early today. Today is a national holiday, and there may be various provocations, including terrorist attacks, by the way. Therefore, we are now, as you can see, in a strengthened version, a certain security regime is observed. (During the interview, two more police officers were present in the chief’s office—the ones who brought me to the chief) . Do you work somewhere, Svetlana Vladimirovna?
Me: Yes, I'm a freelance journalist. I write for various publications, including the PublicPost portal and The New Times magazine.
Q: Now, now. I'll write it down. I have never had the opportunity to read... And now I am ready to listen to you, your questions.
Me: I would like to know if Vadim Korovin, an activist of the Federation of Car Owners of Russia, is here, is everything okay with him, are there any complaints from him, are they giving him medicine? During the trial, lawyers said that he was currently ill and on sick leave.
Q: Unfortunately, I won’t be able to let you in to see him. To do this, there must be his personal consent. Either a trusted person or a lawyer who represents his interests. Therefore, if you are satisfied with my comments - well, it’s your right to agree with something and not with something - then this, I think, will be enough. The only thing I will ask (addresses Major Kadyrov) is that you need to go to the special detention center now, and please bring me the file of the administrative detainee, so that it would be convenient for the press representative to look at the official documents.
Me: You said that we cannot meet with Korovin now. What is needed in order to meet him, what people, when and how can they do this?
Q: Let's start with the fact that citizen Korovin is indeed in our special detention center, in the inter-district one. According to the decision of the Odintsovo City Court, he has a preventive measure of ten days - administrative arrest. They brought it to us yesterday. Korovin's condition is satisfactory.
Me: What time did you arrive?
Q: Let's first ask general questions so as not to switch. Korovin's health condition is satisfactory. All necessary medical documents were presented.
Me: How did you conclude that the condition is satisfactory? Was there a medical examination?
Q: I’ll just keep it brief for now, you can look at the documents later. (Repeat for the third time ) The state of health is satisfactory. He had no complaints about the regime of detention or any serious health problems. We called an ambulance for him yesterday, he asked. In order for specialists to examine him, the necessary qualified medical care was provided. I cannot talk about how medical care was provided, what the doctors did, for one simple reason: you will need to go to the ambulance station and find out there whether they consider it necessary to carry out any medical procedures. And today I had his lawyer. I was sitting right in the place where you are, Svetlana. We had a nice conversation with him - on all the issues that we had, including the state of health of citizen Korovin. Summary: they will now bring you documents that were written by citizen Korovin, stating that he has no complaints and would like at the moment questions related to his medical examination, with the resolution of the issue of his release in connection with his incapacity and suspension of execution sentence to be postponed. Due to the fact that he basically feels normal here. He is not alone in the cell here, there are five of them.
Me: Under what articles are his cellmates?
Q: I can’t tell you these details. For one simple reason - I think that this is not relevant to the essence of the matter in this case. All of them are administratively detained. Persons who are subject to criminal prosecution are kept in completely different conditions. There is a temporary detention center and a special detention center. Therefore, they are all with similar, maybe not similar, but similar situations.
Me: Political?
Q: We don’t have political ones.
Q: I generally want to express my opinion. I don’t know what you will write, where you will write... We always talk about the fact that I want to live in a rule-of-law state. We need to learn to solve in a civilized manner those issues that, in the opinion of some of our citizens, may not be entirely objective, as they think. Here is a civilized solution to the issue in this case - this is the position expressed in this particular case by the lawyer. That is, if you do not agree with the decision of a particular court, in this case an appeal is filed. There is a regional court, there is a higher authority. And only the court determines who is guilty or not guilty. Now I have all the documents in front of me (they brought the materials from Korovin’s case) . There is a court decision, and I think we need to go further...
Me: (Noticing that the colonel has a passport on the table) . Oh, is this my passport? Give it back to me please.
B: (Gives me my passport ).
Major Kadyrov (barely audible, shy ): Is this your passport?
Me: (I check and see that the passport is not mine, but Vadim Korovin’s ). Wow! They almost gave me Vadim’s passport. (I check my purse, I actually picked up my passport earlier ).
Q: ( Takes Korovin’s passport back ) Don’t mislead us, please. Therefore, to comment on something, to explain that one way or another - firstly, it makes no sense. And the second point, I repeat once again: the court is the final authority. Which asserts the degree of guilt of that citizen. Or lack thereof. In this case, we read. Just a formalist, I quote an official document: the court decided (reads the court decision) to find him guilty of committing an administrative violation provided for in part one of Article 19 point three of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. And subject him to administrative punishment in the form of administrative arrest for a period of ten days. The decision can be appealed to the Moscow Regional Court. Which, in fact, is what a federal judge will do. The decision has been made. The verdict came into force...
Me: Stop, stop. Federal judge? Will a lawyer probably appeal? Or Korovin himself.
B: Yes, yes, of course. But the decision came into force.
Me: I want to clarify further. You mentioned the rule of law. Tell me, is everything in your institution strictly in accordance with the law? Are employees, for example, polite and attentive to citizens, including your customers? For example, are they provided with maintenance in the conditions provided for by law?
Q: To the extent that the law requires us to comply with all conditions of detention of persons who are under administrative arrest, everything is complied with. Next, here is the application receipt. Written by Vadim Korovin, today, June 12. (Reading ) I ask you to postpone consideration of the question of the possibility of keeping me in a special detention center for medical reasons until 06/13/2013. I have no complaints about the staff of the special detention center. Number, signature. I think there is no need to comment further.
Me: Thank you. Now please tell us in what conditions Vadim Korovin is being held.
Q: Listen. We have a category of persons who have the right, within the framework of civil control, which we have a very positive attitude towards, to personally inspect and give a personal assessment of how administratively detained prisoners are being kept in our country.
Me: And who is this? Commissioner for Human Rights?
Q: Yes, the Commissioner for Human Rights. We have the same one in the Istra district. If necessary, we will give you a contact number at the duty station. They carry out inspections as they deem necessary.
Me: So you can’t tell?
Q: Let's do it this way. Of course not. For one simple reason, that I am used to answering questions that relate to the substance. If you are wondering now what the size of the ceilings are, what kind of windows there are, what volume of air there is per detainee, I can tell you this: everything that is necessary within the framework of detention according to the law is carried out in our special detention center. And I will say this: at the moment, the special reception center and temporary detention center located here in the Istra district are the best, or better yet, let’s say, to be more modest, one of the best in the Moscow region.
Me: Do you have any rating? Or is there a competition?
Q: This is not a rating or a competition, these are the results of an inspection of public organizations, which indicate the conditions in which detainees are kept.
Me: Where can I see their results?
Q: In public organizations, all this is there. Here is Mikhail Lukin (he meant Vladimir Lukin, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation ), today he was also present at the march that took place in Moscow today, he controlled the actions of the law enforcement bloc, the actions of the demonstrators.
Me: Mikhail? Not Vladimir?
V: Well, or Vladimir, I don’t know what it’s like with Lukin. This is not important. We have exactly the same one in our area, you can find it on the website.
Me: Now please clarify how those who would like to see him in person and communicate with Vadim could meet?
Q: Close relatives can come, a lawyer can come.
Me: No one else can? You said that if there is a statement from Korovin, then it is possible.
Q: If he contacts us, if he wishes to meet with you or someone else, we will consider and take into account this request.
Me: How does he know that this or that person wants to meet with him?
Q: Let's start with the fact that he was given, again by law, the right to make a telephone call, he has communication with a lawyer, he can convey his request through a lawyer. Or the lawyer can tell him that someone wants to meet with him. And we are considering.
Me: How quickly do you consider the detainee’s request?
Q: Our work usually takes place online. The only thing is you need to look at the visiting days.
Me: For broadcasts, in my opinion, the reception days are Tuesday and Thursday. What about meetings? The same?
Q: No, I think the meeting can be held at any time.
Me: If you can’t show and tell what the room where Korovin is kept is like, then maybe you can show what the building looks like from the outside?
Q: This is this complex.
Me: And will it be possible to photograph it? You, for example, against the background of the complex. You promised that you could be photographed on the street.
Q: No, well, I’m not some kind of showman who needs some kind of PR.
Me: Can I at least wave at him out the window?
B: No. We have a containment regime.
Me: Which - what?
Q: Which... ummm... doesn't... ummm... as a rule, does not involve visual, verbal, or any other communication. Come to the reception, and we’ll tell you everything. Do you want to support him morally?
Me: Yes.
Q: I think your support will be conveyed to him through a lawyer. And if I see him, I will definitely say that you contacted him.
Me: There are six of us here.
Q: Well, I’ll tell him that there were six of you, they came and... what did you want to convey? If you want, write him a note, I’ll give it to him.
Me: Please give me a blank piece of paper.
B: (Takes it out of the printer).
Me: (I am writing. The text is: Vadim, we are with you! Hold on! Greetings from the Freedom March! Ilya, Svetlana, Dasha, Elvira, Ildar, Andrey).
Q: (Meanwhile, he communicates with employees, clarifies how the “holiday” is going, is everything normal, is the situation under control, who needs to be “transferred” where, where the fireworks will be. And also gives instructions to Kadyrov so that he takes a photocopy of my first page passport and attached it to the message to Vadim, “for greater persuasiveness” ).
Q: Yes, I want to clarify. If the doctors deem it necessary and write him a certificate of incapacity for work, there will be a deferment. We are releasing him on bail. And he undertakes, after he is cured, to come, but not to us, but to the body that made the decision, to the Odintsovo court. And they - there is the same procedure - they bring him to us for maintenance. There are no problems here.
Me: So won’t you at least allow me to wave my hands? We are from afar.
Q: I’ll explain to you again: this is a sensitive facility - first of all, I don’t have the right. And the second point is that I understand you as a journalist, as a person. On the one hand, everyone has their own job. Well, on the other hand: for a cat - toys, for a mouse - tears. Therefore, the content and security measures are of utmost importance here. Unfortunately, we have sad stories with you, very recent ones, when detainees escaped in the center of Moscow, we have a sad story with you when four criminals are running around in the Perm region.
Me: People waved there too?
Q: Due to the fact that the containment regime is violated.
Me: Do people who are on the street, at a safe distance, somehow relate to the detention regime?
B: Of course. There are a lot of nuances, all of them are very important. It's like the army regulations. And so I repeat once again: this is not my whim: I want it or I don’t want it. This is the order that I am obliged, strictly speaking, to observe, and I do it. So this is not a joke, really. And I’m not talking about Korovin. You can imagine, now there are four criminals, you yourself probably watched, on these same sites of yours, maybe on the computer, how they commit serious escapes. And then they start to figure it out in the same way - it turns out that someone didn’t watch it enough, someone asked for the program to be delivered at the wrong time, someone didn’t see the hacksaw in this program. Yes, anything. Therefore, I promise you, I will convey your solidarity to him, I will attach it directly to yours, to his, that is, business, he will definitely become familiar with it. And when he serves his sentence, I think he will definitely meet with you all, give you an extended interview, tell you how he was kept here, how he was treated. At the same time, you will remind him that you were here, how you felt here. We have a place of prayer here, go to the monastery here, light candles for your health, this is the best thing you can do for a Christian. I think everything will be fine.
Me: Thank you.
Q: Do you still need some help from me, advisory, perhaps?
Me: You gave me your phone number, so you can be found on it to clarify something?
Q: This is not a problem at all. Can I see what you wrote in the note? (Major Kadyrov gives him our message, the colonel reads it). Why didn’t you write the last name, first name and patronymic of everyone who lives where?..
Me: And also credit card numbers and PIN codes?
Q: This is completely unnecessary. But how will he know which Dasha is which Ildar?
Me: He will understand.
Q: By the way, what did you drive here? By train?
Me: By car. By the way, there was a terrible accident on the concrete road there.
Q: You see how it happens. The rules are not followed. And, God forbid, in a drunken state. What kind of car do you have?
Me: Peugeot.
Q: Do you still drive yourself? Or did someone bring you?
Me: Myself.
Q: So you have six people in the car?
Me: No. One person arrived in another car.
Q: What is your car number?
Me: Why do you need it?
Q: You never know, if you go, you will need some help.
Me: (give the license plate number of the car) .
Q: You need some other letters for such a beautiful number. Some kind of AMP. USA Freedom March, for example. And here's another question: you work freely by a journalist. Do you have the main place of work? There must be a constant, stable source of income.
Me: No. But by education I am a mathematician. Mehmat Moscow State University, Department of Statistics and Random Processes. So there is always work. I can give mathematics lessons to those who wish.
Q: MECHmat of Moscow State University is serious. Probably, only Baumanka can compete with your level of education. But how did you get into journalism?
Me: I started from articles on economic topics. There mathematics is very useful. As elsewhere, however.
Q: And and the publications you write to, are they all Western?
Me: I write only in Russian. I just pronounce the names to you as it is easier to find on the Internet.
Q: How do you post your articles, publications in the press? I am interested, because I myself graduated from a technical university at one time, then legal, then another university - the academy.
I: (I gave a lecture on how the editorial office works, about the interaction of the editor with freelance journalists and freelancers - with different publications. And also talked about what Korovin is doing, how illegal parking lots and enclosed “meetings” for the prosecutors) .
Q: Here is Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, therefore correctly says: "Let's make public control." Therefore, everything that you do, I welcome with both hands. And let's do it together, help observe the law.
