"Our son is sure that dad is fighting dogs in the dark."

Photographer Denis Sinyakov has been in the pre -trial detention center of Murmansk for two weeks. He shot the story of Greenpeace activists on the Arctic ship Sunrise , and after the attempt to hang out a banner from the drill platform “Prirazlomnaya” to all who were on the ship, arrested the Russian court, and Sinyakova did not protect the status of a journalist - along with everyone he is accused of piracy. On Tuesday, October 8, Denis has an appeal - a lawyer will seek a preventive measure not related to arrest.

- Denis is a freelancer, he is not a regular photographer of a single edition. Nevertheless, he is a photojournalist. How did it happen?

- His creative path began with the fact that he worked in one of the Moscow news newspapers. Then he worked as a stringer in agence France - Presse : That is, shot for them, but was not on the state. Then he worked there as a photo editor, later - a photo correspondent. After some time, he received an offer to work in Reuters and worked there for about five or six years. It was, perhaps, a family solution, what is enough, you need to leave there and engage in projects that are interesting to you. After all, in the agency how: you wake up in the morning, and you are informed that today you will shoot, for example, Lavrov. And you sit and shoot. And Denis felt the need to remove his stories that he likes. But there was not enough time for them.

- It turns out that he has a broadest circle of interests: he removes the war, and the life of labor migrants, and the life of the Nenets in Yamal ...

- Photographers find themselves in those places where an ordinary person will not visit. Who else will find out that people in plague live in their foundations and traditions live five thousand kilometers from Moscow, eat raw fish, and move? The same thing - about the war ... or there is such a place in Russia - three kilometers from Moscow - it floods it every year in the flood. The inhabitants there move in boats ... Denis knew about this place, but while he was working in the agency, he did not have enough time to come there and take it off. And when he quit, he finally took off about this beautiful story.

“Have you witnessed his professional growth from the very beginning?” How long do you know?

- It seems to me all my life ... In fact, about seven years. We met when he only moved to Reuters .

- Denis mainly works on business trips, often leaving?

- Yes. But it also removes the events taking place in Moscow - mainly for Russian publications.

- Have there been cases when Denis was in danger during work?

- For me, “danger” is when they can hurt, for example. If you keep it in mind, then yes. He was in South Ossetia, in Turkey, in Afghanistan several times ... It was really scary when he shot in South Ossetia. There was absolutely no connection there - only a photo he could transfer the satellite, it costs a lot of money. And I could know about what is happening to him, I could only from the photographs of Denis. We agreed like this: I come home every evening, loading photos. If there are fresh photos of Denis Sinyakov on the ribbons, it means that he is alive and everything is fine.

He does not have Pussy Riot pictures, and he really blamed me for this: I did not let him in.

- Were there any problems with the law?

- He was detained several times on promotions in Moscow, but each time - for 20-30 minutes. As soon as he said that he was a journalist, he, of course, was immediately released. Now this has not happened.

- You followed or follow now the political processes - “swamp business”, the Pussy business Riot ?

-I can’t say that I live in some kind of public life and are very interested in: yes, I also went with a white ribbon at one time, but I did not actively express my position. And yet, since Denis often faced these events, we discussed them. It so happened that the story with Pussy Riot turned out to be close to me. Denis knew that the girls should arrange an action in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior: he made a story about Pussy Riot . But he does not have this picture, and he really blames me for this: I did not let him in. I had urgent affairs, I asked him to stay with the child. We argued, I said: "They do it every week, but I need to leave now!" For World Press Photo and other journalistic prizes just do not have enough this picture. Well, who knew in advance!

- Denis has long been friends with Greenpeace. Does he share their views?

- Yes. He conveys to me all the foundations of the Green World: trying to force me to turn off the water while I brush my teeth, separately collect garbage ... We went to some Greenpeace events: a few years ago, when there were many forest fires, they collected chestnuts and acorns in the park to plant new trees. We put one of these acorns in the pot, he grew up winter, and in the spring we dropped out a sprout in Kolomensky. It was the same year when we had a son. We called a tree, chestnut, “Vasya” - in honor of the son - and still go to water it. And on the site we have cedars: they get stronger, and we will plant them in the forest.

- To be friends with the heroes of your pictures is normal?

- I'll tell you an example. After Denis finished the story with migrants, he was thinking about lifting the story about drug addicts. He really wanted to get acquainted with such people that they would let him into their lives. It is possible to achieve this, buying them drugs, but professional journalists do not do that.

I asked him: “Here are the narcomans, they have a small child. And they lie in the unconscious, and the baby crawls along them and wants to eat. What will you do? ” If the child will die, then Denis will, of course, feed him. But if he simply crawls in wet pants, Denis will do nothing, his task is to document. The same thing is in war. When the wounded is brought, Denis, of course, does not remove, but rushes to help. After all, they are tormented, and if you transfer them to the hospital quickly, you can save their lives.

- You are talking about the verge of non -interference, which Denis did not cross.

- Never. This is his position, I am very proud of this.

- At the trial, Denis confirmed that he was on Arctic Sunrise by a journalist?

- Yes, sure. I watched the video from the trial: Denis was confident, he was convinced that he would be released because he was a journalist. For him, the arrest was a complete surprise and shock. He tried to remain calm, but I saw in his eyes a complete misunderstanding of what was happening.

- About the documents certifying his journalistic status: did Denis have them with them?

“I don’t know for sure if Denis had a Lenta.ru press card with him.” But she is not at home, from which I conclude that she was there, but could disappear when the ship was searched unattended. Regarding the editorial assignment: the work of the freelancer differs from the staff of the staff. When a house is burning somewhere or a spontaneous action takes place, he just calls to the editor: "Hello, is the house burns there, am I renting?" “Of course, take off,” they answer him: this is an editorial task. Denis had such a task, they called up with the editor -in -chief “Lenta.ru”, his photo (from the action to “Prirazlomnaya.” - Ed. ) They published. Now our lawyer already has an editorial task properly designed. Yes, he was not on the ship, because it is not customary to do so. And under the law, this paper is not required.

We called a tree, chestnut, “Vasya” - in honor of his son.

“Tell me a few words about your state of mind.”

- I never thought that I would find out in such a situation. I want to believe that I hold on with dignity and do everything in my power. A few days ago, we discussed this with friends and came to the conclusion that such situations let you know what is actually important in life. In fact, only human relationships are important: the love of loved ones, the support of friends.

Denis and I are now building a house. And before his departure, they argued a lot about what kind of ladder to make in him. Once we cursed on this topic that he stopped the car, slapped the door and left. And now - yes, at least there will be a house without a staircase, what it matters!

-Does the son know anything?

- He is still small (three years. - Ed. ). When everything happened, I tried to explain to him: “Your dad is in prison somewhere far away, he is bad ...” He asked: he asked:

- Where is dad, in the dark?
“Well, yes,” I say, “in the dark.”
“He feels bad ... is his woman offended?”
- Yes, he is offended by dogs.

So Vasya is sure that dad is fighting dogs in the dark. The most important thing that my son asks me several times a day: "But dad is strong, brave, he scares all the dogs?" It’s a little hard for me to talk to him about it, but, in general, my son is also sure that everything will be resolved well.

- What is being done now to help Denis?

- After my trip to Murmansk and after the hard work of the Greenpeace team, he has warm things and everything he needs. It remains only to transmit books. He did not read the Chocolate on the ship Joan Harris, really wants to read. And I am trying to laugh a little over all this situation, so I bought him the “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Treasure Island” ... Only Denis will not be able to directly transfer them to Denis: the books can only be given to the Beaters of the pre -trial detention center, and prisoners will be able to take them from there.

On Tuesday, the arrest of Denis will be the arrest, on it we will offer the judges any options: house arrest, pledge, a non -to visit from Murmansk - only so that he is not in prison.