Translated material
Political pressure: media digest (July 31 - August 6)
"Bolotnaya case"
The defendants in the “Case of Four” made their final plea
« Ilya Gushchin
- Our trial is already the fourth in a series of “Bolotnaya cases”, so I will not touch on the essence of what is being examined. Many words have been said, conclusions have been drawn. There is also hardly anything in my biography that might be of interest to the court. Therefore, I will briefly move on to mundane issues. We have been kept in a pre-trial detention center for a year and a half. I ask you to take into account that we served part of the sentence in more difficult conditions, and give a more lenient punishment. All.
Alexander Margolin
“Before the May 6th rally, I worked at a job I loved, helped my parents, raised my daughters, and considered myself responsible for the future of my children. When I went to this peaceful rally, I believed that I could peacefully change the situation, make this state freer, more legal, prosperous, in which my children would live comfortably. I do not plead guilty. However, I have extenuating circumstances. I ask you to make a fair, informed decision, not based on any factors other than legal ones.
Alexey Gaskarov
“It seems to me that our individual stories, our motives are not so important - for the reasons on which we are sitting, any person who was on Bolotnaya Square on May 6 could have been sitting. Our case received public attention not because it was interesting who and how pulled the policeman’s leg or body armor. Through the “Bolotnaya case” the public understands how the government interacts with the opposition, how it treats those who have a point of view different from the general line. Why did such a large number of people decide to participate in the events on May 6, rather than go home and allow themselves to be beaten with impunity? The May 6 demonstration is the seventh mass opposition event. Until December 2012, several thousand people came out to protest rallies, but after you-know-who said that the idea of a change of power is not the best for Russia, the activist group expanded. These people did not go to create riots, they went as observers to the elections in order to understand and record how the legitimacy of the current government is formed. I was an observer myself. Elections are the only legal way to change the political system and further solve social and economic problems. Despite the fact that a huge number of people took to the streets, there was practically no reaction from the authorities. The protest was peaceful, numerous, and the demands were real. On the whole, we should be glad that the events on Bolotnaya Square happened in exactly this way. In all developed democratic countries, protests and the opportunity to express a point of view different from the authorities form political competition, which allows the country to find the optimal path for development. The signals that follow from our case are whether there is a right to protest in Russia at all and whether the rule of law has been preserved in Russia. A person must be protected from the actions of the authorities not only by the mechanism of separation and the system of checks and balances, but also by the opportunity to directly appeal to the law, in the form in which it is formulated. This is clearly evident in our business. The rule of law is one of the most important institutions that protects human rights in a democratic state. We cannot help but draw attention to the selectivity of the manifestation of the law. Our right is not precedent, but it cannot be ignored: if you are a nationalist - you block roads, set fire to shops, organize pogroms, but at the same time do not speak out against the actions of the authorities, then you are a hooligan. If you find yourself in a place where they shout “Putin is a thief,” then you come under strict criminal liability. If you are loyal to the authorities, then the maximum favored nation regime is applied to you. If you're not loyal, you're in jail. This concerns the assessment of the actions of demonstrators and the police. It is too obvious that not all police behaved as they should in the square. This topic was not the subject of the investigation, but not a single criminal case was opened against the police. Through our case they wanted to turn the police into untouchables. When there was a public discussion about the consequences of the swamp case, the phrase “you can’t beat the police” was always heard. But even in our situation - out of thirty people who were involved in the “Bolotnaya case”, only three actually dealt any blows to the police. The whole complexity of the situation was simplified by this phrase. This way of posing the question destroys the possibility of any criticism of the authorities. We cannot forget that many terrible crimes during the years of the Great Terror were committed by people in uniform; everything they did was actually legal. Now we are told: there should be no critical rethinking, we must stupidly obey. I would really not like that after our trial, talking about law as an expression of the principle of justice would suddenly become a sign of bad taste. If the path to freedom in this country lies through prisons, we are ready to take it.
Elena Kokhtareva
“I want to explain why I refuse the opposition, why I stopped going [to rallies], why I not only regret what happened, now I repent absolutely, completely. I went to rallies for a year, at first everything was clear: against corruption, for fair elections, against starvation wages, for everything to be fine. But with each rally it became harder for me: when you come, everything is bad with us, we have devastation, the Ozero cooperative... In the end, the moment came when I felt that I didn’t like Russians, then I felt that I didn’t like Russia. I didn’t think that manipulative technologies would have an effect on me. Then I wanted to leave Russia. After some time, I felt that I was beginning to understand suicides. I didn’t understand how you could not want to live. It turns out that it is possible: a state comes when you cannot live, because there is no progress and prospects ahead. At the peak of all these sentiments, investigators came to me - the road was snowy, they barely made it. My hut is not heated, it is not cleaned, they are wet like tsutsiki. I say: “Boys, now I’ll make you some tea.” There were no cups. I have never experienced such shame! I was overwhelmed with guilt! Pushed? Pushed. Did they throw it? I cheated. Will you sign? I'll sign it. I’m not in the mood myself, write it yourself as you want. I’ll check the errors and hand them over to your superiors. From the first day of the investigation to the last, I cried. All year I fought with investigators, proved that our opposition is the most necessary, that we are the most fair, patriots, and only we can pull Russia out. I may be the only one who liked the interrogations. I cried there, got into a row, got into an argument. I poured out all my emotions on the investigator, and also, being an energy vampire, I fed from them. I want to apologize to all the riot police and take back my words. Your Honor, if you have the opportunity, don’t lock us up, we’re so tired.”
Yaroslav Belousov was transported to the Stavropol Territory
“ The defendant in the case of the riots on Bolotnaya Square in Moscow, Yaroslav Belousov, was transferred from the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center to the Stavropol Territory to serve his sentence, his lawyer Dmitry Agranovsky told RAPSI on Wednesday. “Yaroslav Belousov was sent from Matroska to the Stavropol Territory “to serve his sentence.” His term expires on September 9, 2014, while he is on transfers, his term will already expire and he will be released,” said Agranovsky. In June, Agranovsky sent a petition to the Tverskoy Court of the capital for the parole of Belousov, but it was later transferred to the Preobrazhensky Court. “They still have to consider it (the petition), since I submitted it within the time limit established by law, and it’s not clear to me why they are going through this red tape now,” the lawyer added. Earlier, the Moscow City Court reduced Belousov’s sentence from 2.5 years to two years and three months.”
OVD-Info about the transfer of Belousov
Sergei Udaltsov's defense appealed the verdict
“The lawyer of the Left Front coordinator Sergei Udaltsov filed a complaint against the conviction of her client, who is still continuing his “wet” hunger strike in the pre-trial detention center. “I filed a complaint against the guilty verdict, which the defense expects to supplement, since we were not provided with the entire package of necessary documents. As for the hunger strike, yes, he continues to refuse to eat,” lawyer Violetta Volkova told ITAR-TASS. On July 24, the Moscow City Court found Udaltsov and deputy Ilya Ponomarev’s assistant Leonid Razvozzhaev guilty of organizing mass riots and sentenced them to 4.5 years in prison in a general regime colony. Razvozzhaev's sentence was appealed on July 29. On July 25, Udaltsov went on a “wet” hunger strike to protest against the verdict. As the official representative of the Federal Penitentiary Service for Moscow, Sergei Tsygankov, previously reported, in connection with the hunger strike, Udaltsov was taken under medical supervision.”
prosecution
The prosecution appealed the verdict of Pavel Vazhenin, convicted for the events on Manezhnaya Square
“The prosecutor appealed the verdict against Pavel Vazhenin, according to which he was found guilty in a criminal case regarding riots on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow in 2010 and sentenced to three years in prison, lawyer Oksana Mikhalkina told RAPSI on Thursday. “The court told me that they had received a statement from the prosecutor’s office, which was dissatisfied with what it considered to be a too lenient punishment,” the agency’s interlocutor said. Previously, Vazhenin’s defense appealed the court decision, but the date for the hearing has not yet been set. At the end of June, the Tverskoy Court of the capital found Vazhenin guilty of using violence against a government official (Part 1 of Article 318 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and hooliganism (Part 2 of Article 213 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and sentenced him to three years in prison in a general regime colony. At the same time, the court agreed to terminate the criminal prosecution against him under two articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (calls for mass riots and incitement to hatred or enmity) due to the expiration of the statute of limitations on them.”
The Investigative Committee confirmed the detention of Voina activist Oleg Vorotnikov
“The Investigative Committee of Russia has confirmed the detention in Italy of the leader of the Voina art group, Oleg Vorotnikov, accused of beating police officers in St. Petersburg. Interfax reports this. “If he is extradited to the Russian Federation, he will be charged with committing these crimes. The investigation into the criminal case continues,” the Investigative Committee noted. Vorotnikov was detained in Venice on July 27. This was reported on the page of the art group “War” on Facebook. In Russia, a criminal case has been opened against the activist under the articles “use of violence against a representative of the authorities” and “insulting a representative of the authorities.”
OVD-Info about the trial in the extradition case of Vorotnikov
Krasnodar ecologist Evgeny Vitishko left the punishment cell
“In a colony-settlement in the Tambov region, Krasnodar ecologist Evgeny Vitishko left the punishment cell, the activist’s supporters reported late in the evening of August 3. As the "Caucasian Knot" wrote, the transfer of Evgeniy Vitishko to a punishment cell became known on July 31. According to his supporters, disciplinary measures were taken against the ecologist by decision of the management of the correctional institution. “At 20.15 today, Evgeniy left the punishment cell. The basis for imposing such a punishment was the canned food stored in the bag. The initiator of the closure was the prosecutor, who came to investigate Vitishko’s statements,” supporters of the environmentalist wrote on his Facebook page on the evening of August 3. As human rights activists previously noted, during his stay in the colony, Vitishko received several reprimands and sent at least three complaints to the prosecutor’s office in connection with violations of his rights. According to supporters of the convict, an employee of the supervisory agency who arrived at the colony regarding Vitishko’s statements called the complaints coming from the environmentalist “constantly unconfirmed.” “At the moment, Evgeniy’s things and food are missing (confiscated or missing, it will be known only tomorrow ( August 4, - Caucasian Knot note )). Immediately in the punishment cell, Evgeniy went on a hunger strike and at the moment has not yet given up on it,” - says a message from the environmentalist's supporters, distributed on the evening of August 3. There have been no comments yet from the administration of the colony-settlement where Vitishko is being held, from the leadership of the FSIN and the prosecutor’s office.”
“ A group of politicians and public figures appealed to the head of the Federal Penitentiary Service, demanding an end to the persecution of Evgeniy Vitishko in the colony. Over the course of several months of imprisonment, the environmentalist received a number of penalties and reprimands, and now he has even been put in a punishment cell. Now from the colony-settlement he can be sent to a real zone. “We believe that the reason for the persecution of E. Vitishko is his human rights activities,” the appeal says. “We ask you to use your powers as director of the Federal Penitentiary Service of the Russian Federation to restore the rights of E. Vitishko and prevent their violation in the future.” The document was signed by the chairman of the Yabloko party Sergei Mitrokhin, a member of the Presidential Human Rights Council Andrei Babushkin, a member of the Scientific Advisory Council under the Prosecutor General's Office Valery Borshchev and a number of other well-known human rights activists. However, the court must reconsider his case. <...> Now, after many months of conflict with the management, Evgeniy Vitishko ended up in a punishment cell - a punishment cell - a punishment cell. And it’s not just about the conditions of detention. If the prisoner has no penalties, after some time he can apply for parole. But if he ended up in a punishment cell, he will never see an early prison sentence. The most important thing is that after the punishment cell, the administration has the right to ask the court to transfer the prisoner from the penal colony to a general regime colony, where the conditions are more stringent. They warned Vitishko, but he didn’t listen.
... Vitishko’s relationship with the leadership of the colony is like a duel: he writes statements, and he is given penalties. First, about the statements. There is a women's detachment in the colony. Evgeniy wrote to the regional prosecutor’s office that the colony staff used obscene language with the women. And then he wrote that the colony employees smoke in the wrong places. In May, Vitishko’s LiveJournal blog posted a recording of how, in front of his eyes, FSIN officers beat prisoners. In a statement to the Russian Ombudsman Ella Pamfilova and the regional prosecutor, Vitishko states: “Some of the employees <...> in the adjacent territory of the punishment cell beat convicts using special means...” Before that, Vitishko worked in the colony as a janitor, but after recording he was transferred to more difficult work , harvesting vegetables. I had to get up at 7 am, walk several kilometers, and then work until the evening without gloves or water. Evgeniy wrote a statement to the prosecutor's office, and now prisoners are taken to work, and they are given gloves and water. And one more thing. Recently, the chairman of the Yabloko party, Sergei Mitrokhin, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Council under the Prosecutor General’s Office, Valery Borshchev, came to visit Vitishko in the colony. Evgeniy laid out a whole bunch of problems for them: prisoners are not allowed to communicate in their national language, there are two telephone booths for 600 prisoners. The violations, according to him, are that visits according to the law can be in any quantity, and even members of the Tambov Public Monitoring Committee are not always allowed to see Vitishko. The colony's leadership is not asleep. The first penalty was issued on April 17: regarding the transfer of an item to another convict. On June 19, the environmentalist was reprimanded for “being in a sleeping place.” On July 3, he was banned from leaving the barracks for 10 days “for negligent attitude to work.” On July 9, Vitishko received a reprimand for “storing food in an unspecified place.” The other day, colony staff filed several reports against Vitishko about “violation of internal regulations.” After that, he was placed in a punishment cell.”
Vitishko later stopped his hunger strike
Magnitogorsk is investigating a case of extremism against an activist of the Union of Initiative Groups
“Opposition activist from Magnitogorsk Andrei Romanov announced the initiation of a criminal case. As an activist of the Union of Initiative Groups told a Rosbalt correspondent, the Chelyabinsk department of the FSB is investigating him. On July 28, Andrei Romanov was served with a summons. In it, the oppositionist was asked to come to Chelyabinsk to the investigative department of the FSB department for an interview. Romanov did not go to the survey, citing a lack of money for travel. As a result, city FSB officers took an explanatory note from the Magnitogorsk activist. “A criminal case was opened against me for extremism. Allegedly, on my page on social networks I posted an article about protests, where it was written that Putin can only be defeated by Maidan,” said Andrei Romanov. Andrei Romanov participated in organizing protests at which Russia’s foreign policy position towards Ukraine was criticized. Also in Magnitogorsk, actions were carried out against the management of the metallurgical plant.”
extrajudicial prosecution
Journalist Timur Kuashev was found dead in Kabardino-Balkaria; a pathologist found an injection mark
“On Thursday evening, Timur Kuashev stopped communicating. He did not answer calls, did not come to the premiere of his mother’s play in the theater, did not spend the night at home. At about 21:20, the last call was recorded from his phone. As it managed to find out later, about half of the tenth Timur left his own apartment, leaving a mobile phone and documents of the house. The body of a journalist in sportswear and without signs of violent death was discovered the next day in a forest in a suburb of a taxlach. The autopsy also did not reveal signs of violent death, however, a pathologist, according to Father Timur, recorded a trace of injection in the axillary hollow of a young man. Blood samples were sent for a chemical examination, the results of which should be prepared only after a few days. Nevertheless, the administration of the Investigative Committee for the KBR hastened to say that they did not see crime in the death of a young man. “The forensic examination did not find any violent signs of death; there were no external signs of violent death on the body of the deceased, as well as other bodily harm or signs of struggle and self -defense,” said the representative of the regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Marat Baga. The Investigative Committee also reported that, most likely, the journalist had a run, during which he felt ill. However, relatives, friends and colleagues of Timur categorically disagree with such a version. “Timur was absolutely healthy, how can a healthy guy of 26 years, who plays sports almost every day,” Kuashev’s close friend told Novaya Gazeta. “But he always went in for sports near his house.” The body of Timur was found at the opposite end of the city, more than 20 kilometers from his house. There is an opportunity to try to establish how Timur was there, but we ourselves cannot do this. ” The fact is that the house of Timur Kuashev is located next to the third city police department, the building of which is equipped with video cameras. According to Timur's friends, any person or a car approaching the house certainly falls into the field of view of police cameras. But in order to withdraw videos, it is necessary to resolve the investigator, and the resolution of the investigator can only be in the framework of a criminal case. The Investigative Committee is not going to institute criminal proceedings on the fact of the death of Timur Kuashev. Timur Kuashev was a journalist and public figure known in the North Caucasus. He wrote notes for the Internet portals “Caucasian Knot”, “Caucasian Policy”, as well as for the magazine “Dosh”. He was one of the organizers of the rallies against torture in the police and other shares, he closely collaborated with human rights organizations such as the Memorial and the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center. Last year, Kuashev appealed to the police with a statement on the persecution and threats coming to him, both from unknown people and from the employees of the Center for Combating Extremism. However, the police found his statement by unreasonable and refused to initiate a criminal case. ”
The American human rights activist is expelled from Russia
“The decision to recall the Russian residence was made by the Migration Service on the basis of allegedly that Jennifer Gaspar" advocates for a violent change in the foundations of the constitutional system of Russia, or by other actions pose a threat to state security. " Jennifer Gaspar - St. Petersburg human rights activist, wife of the chairman of the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information Ivan Pavlov, has been living in Russia for 10 years. The FMS letter was dated July 21, it was sent by "Russian Post", and therefore it reached the addressee only on August 5, that is, 14 days later. For Jennifer Gaspar, the content of the letter was not a surprise:
- Nine days ago we were called from our district department of the Federal Migration Service and asked: "Have you received a letter?" I did not quite understand what they want from me, and handed over the phone to my spouse. They explained to him what kind of letter it was and what this reason why they refuse me a residence in Russia. We have been living with this information for more than a week.
- You have been living in Russia for ten years, are engaged in counseling on management issues in non -profit organizations. Is it possible to assume that your work had something to do with the state security of Russia, especially since it could pose a threat to this safety?
- Of course not. I work in the field of activities of non -profit organizations. In the USA, such a profession as mine is completely ordinary. I worked in this profession before I arrived in Russia. What is my work? I meet with the client, advise him. The purpose of the consultation is a great openness of NPOs in front of a society, in front of his donor, and improve the efficiency of NPOs. This is my work. I do not understand what kind of threat to Russia such work can pose.
- But you worked with non -profit organizations that are declared "foreign agents." Maybe for this reason you were deprived of a residence permit in Russia?
- Yes, I worked with various NGOs and with those, including those who are engaged in the protection of human rights. Some of these NPOs now have problems related to new laws that define such a concept as a “foreign agent”. Yes. But I understand that this is still legal work, it does not pose any threat.
Journalists from Fontanka.ru tried to find out what was hiding behind the wording contained in the letter. Elena Dunaeva, head of the department of the FMS in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, officially answered: “The FMS management does not accuse anyone, the FMS management is guided by the opinion of the security services. This is their competence, such is the current practice in the world. We only decided about Expulsion, but the procedure for making such a decision includes interaction with a whole block of law enforcement agencies. Jennifer Gaspar intends to appeal this decision on August 7 in the court of the Frunze district of St. Petersburg. And in the press service of the FSB Office for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, the Radio Liberty correspondent refused to comment on the deprivation of the residence permit Jennifer Gaspar and the statement of the head of the local Federal Migration Service Elena Dunaeva. In response to the question of Radio Liberty, did Jennifer Gaspar have recently been leaving for herself, whether she had been calls with threats, she answered negatively:
- No. No. We live very calmly. We are law -abiding citizens. And we still had no problems. We have such an expression Ideal Storm - "perfect storm". This is the moment when all the factors, all circumstances work against you. I found myself in such a situation. A woman who works with NPOs, human rights activist. It was at that time in the place where various well-known laws were adopted, for example, the Law on Foreign Agents, and her husband was a well-known lawyer-lawyer ... In general, all this developed into a single whole. I accept this as a kind of historical fact. Of course, everything is very sad. My daughter is a citizen of Russia. She is five years old. And if we leave, then it will be deprived of the opportunity to understand her culture, her language. I am very sad for those active young Russians who work in the non -profit sector, in NGOs, and on which they continue to pour a blow to the blow. ”