Faith in miracles

On July 18, activist Dmitry Monakhov was detained and severely beaten on Manezhnaya Square. Photos of his beating spread all over the Internet. People were outraged, liked and retweeted. And Monakhov took and filed a statement with the police against the policemen who beat him.

Unfortunately, this is far from the first beating of the activist. Is it the last? Depends on us.

OVD-Info regularly writes about the beatings of activists - sometimes harsh, sometimes not so much. Often people think that if someone was beaten, it means there was something for it. Monakhov, according to him and eyewitness accounts, was detained and beaten simply because he was big, noticeable and loud: he shouted loudly. It is easy to believe in this - our annual report describes police violence with concrete examples - when, why and how the police suddenly start beating (chapter "Beatings and hospitalization" and chapter "Beatings in the police department" ). You can read about how the police beat the detainees on May 6, 2012 in the report of the Public Monitoring Commission . In general, the beating of Monakhov is not only not the first, but not the first well-documented beating.

Nevertheless, the beatings of activists never lead to any consequences for those who beat them: in some cases, the police intimidate the detainees, threatening to initiate a criminal case against the activists themselves under Article 318. Criminal Code - already on the fact of beating a police officer. This mechanism is described in detail in our reference “Beatings of detainees and the practice of intimidation of activists” , and with all the details it has been analyzed using the example of the case of Stanislav Pozdnyakov . By the way, the "prisoners of the swamp" are accused in particular under this article. In other cases, activists still file complaints with the police - but in these cases, as the head of the Agora association Pavel Chikov writes in his letter to the Moscow prosecutor , the Investigative Committee does not initiate a criminal case under one pretext or another. So it was, for example, with the anti-fascist Alexei Gaskarov - he was beaten on Bolotnaya Square, he filed an application, it was rejected, and a year later, on the eve of the anniversary of May 6, Gaskarov was arrested. On charges, all under the same 318th article. The Criminal Code - well, of course, he was also accused of “participation in mass riots”. So it was with dozens of other attempts to obtain justice for beaten activists through legal means.

Nevertheless, Dmitry Monakhov filed an application. Thus, Monakhov runs the risk, in particular, of himself being charged with the use of force against police officers - a case under 318 of the Criminal Code in the wake of the events on Manezhnaya Square has already been initiated, so far - against unidentified persons. Why is Monakhov doing this?

Based on the experience of monitoring OVD-Info, we know that the vast majority of detainees do not believe in the possibility of obtaining justice during court proceedings. It is not surprising: in the same annual report of OVD-Info, it is described in detail how exactly the trial of activists takes place (chapter "Litigation" ). The court takes, in most cases, a couple of minutes, and the judge's decision is accusatory in almost 99% of cases. Regardless of the evidence given by the detainee, the testimonies and diligence of the lawyer.

And anyway, Dmitry Monakhov, a man beaten by police officers, an activist of the Solidarity movement with experience, finally, a man detained at a spontaneous action regarding the unfair trial of Pyotr Ofitserov and Alexei Navalny, that is, a person who is not naive and probably knows all the realities of the Russian law enforcement and judicial system, decided to seek justice through legal means.

People are not naive and everyone who has long understood about the "bloody regime" will not even ask "why". They just twist a finger at the temple. But Monakhov himself explains his decision very simply and very intelligibly : “I am a strong guy, you can beat me for quite a long time, and if someone does the same, then I’m not sure that this person will get off just as easily. It's just better that it ends with me than with anyone else."

Contrary to popular belief about the inoperability of Russian courts, miracles do happen. On July 19, the Kirov court released Pyotr Ofitserov and Alexei Navalny - the general opinion is that the decision is political. More likely. But on July 23, the Moscow City Court released Matveev from the detention center, who was detained by the police on July 18 on the same Manzhenaya Square - after an appeal by lawyer Tamara Romanova, the court reduced his term from 15 days to 5 . Political decision? Probably, this decision was made by Putin himself, very likely.

But what about other acquittals against activists? In April 2012, the Basmanny District Court found Valery Yurtsev, who was detained by the police on December 5, 2011 after a rally at Chistye Prudy “For Fair Elections” and then spent almost two days in the Taganskoye police station, innocent . In early April of this year, the Narofominsk District Court declared illegal the arrest of eco-activist Tatyana Pavlova , who by that time had already spent five days in a special detention center. The truth sometimes triumphs: on Facebook there is a whole group “White paddy wagon” , in which activists share their successful experience of litigation: who had their previous sentences canceled, who were acquitted right away, who made some other amazing decisions. For example, Sergei Gariga, who was detained on May 6, 2012 on Bolotnaya Square, received compensation of 20,200 rubles in court for the “use of unjustified physical force” in the Ramenki police department .

Yes, there are few successful stories, and they mostly do not take place in Moscow. And how many - especially in Moscow - are stubborn? Those who are ready to litigate for months in order to drop charges under Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses and a fine of 20,000 rubles for exercising their constitutional right to freedom of assembly? And how many people pay attention to these courts, are indignant about them, like and retweet? How often do the media write about these courts, where the essence of the judicial system, by the way, is clearly visible?

That's about how many stubborn - so many successful. Most people believe in miracles. Courts in Russia will be fair and independent. The police are soft and fluffy. There will be no prisons at all - the walls will collapse. All this will happen suddenly - because we will all go out to the square. And we won't leave. And we'll come again. Or mass put a tick in the ballot.

I would also like to believe in miracles. But there is reason to believe that miracles happen as a result of purposeful actions. That is, purposeful. Dmitry Monakhov's attempt to stop police violence is just such an action: Monakhov doesn't like beatings, he doesn't like the current state of the police, he doesn't like our judicial system. And it acts - not against everything bad, but specifically hits these pain points. And if this action is backed up by public support - even if it is indignation, likes and retweets - Monakhov will achieve his goal and his own “pearl ensign” will appear in Moscow. And there, you see, maybe there will be fewer activists who want to beat. I believe in such miracles reinforced by everyday efforts of society. In instant and miraculous changes - no.