Two vessels in one day

On one October day, two vessels at once took place over the residents of the whims: in the Novokhopersky district , they sentenced the Uryupinets Mikhail Boyarishchev (supposedly for the arson of drilling equipment working in the fields of agricultural), and in Moscow, Igor Zhtenov and Mikhail Bezmensky were sentenced to 2.5 years .

Many local residents gathered at the court in the village of Yelan-Koleno District, who know well what was happening at the Elanskoye Department on June 22, 2013. Then the thousands of two people moved to the place of exploration conducted for the ural mining and metallurgical campaign, and destroyed the fence and part of the equipment used on the basis of the land lease for its agricultural use. Representatives of law enforcement agencies found a “switchman” from ordinary local residents, who, judging by the videos and photographs (never considered by the court), was generally away from the towers when they were set on fire. The judge admitted that it was impossible to establish, “with whom the accused” acted, ”and awarded two and a half years of camps to a man who was almost accidentally chosen from the crowd, most likely“ to make others dislike ”. It is impossible to say that this strengthened the faith of local residents in justice. As it is impossible to say that such a court added love for the company, by the will of which all this happens.

As it turns out, the money decides a lot, but not everything, so even this criminal case, ordered by all signs, is slowly falling apart

The case, on which another court passed on the same October day, already in Moscow, also began with a statement by the deputy general director of the UMMC PETER PETRA YAMOV in the name of the subsequently arrested for the provocation of the head of the Main Directorate for Economic Security and Combating Corruption Denis Svugrobov. This “hopar affair” is soon the anniversary - November 27 in the Voronezh region was detained by Igor Zhitenev, the former Cossack chieftain, and Mikhail Bezmensky, whom the investigation is now trying to put up with almost the main ideologist of the anti -nickel movement, because otherwise the bar of the charges is falling apart. The fact that the Svugrobov himself was detained for the provocation of a bribe, that is, for actions according to the same scenario as on Khopre-transfer money for recording and arrest who needs to be-somehow no longer mentioned. But the Tver court extended the measure of restraint for detainees in the Voronezh region for another five days: until November 27 (you can keep a person in a pre-trial detention center for more than a year only with the sanction of the Moscow City Court, and for this theoretically needs a lot of motivation than the standard-meaningful "can hide, can affect the course of the investigation, and can put pressure on witnesses").

Over the year, residents of the whims trying to protect their land from the ambitions of the Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, which was going to get nickel there, learned a lot about how criminal cases are initiated and underway. That's just, as it turns out, the money decides a lot, but not all, so even this criminal case, ordered on all signs, is slowly falling apart. A week ago, Zhitenev and Bezmensky re -qualified the article. Remember how a year ago the Internet circled the video about the "malicious extortion" from the Hopra? The announcer said in a voice in a voice how Bezmensky (who, six months before, left Stopnikel and stopped participating in the protest movement) and Zhitenev (for a long time taking away the authority of the ataman for health reasons, after the Chopovtsy, guarding sections of deposits, shared his head with their accomplices) with their accomplices, pressed up the walls of innocent top managers UMMC, demanding money, and they were forced to pay off, if only activists stopped their "criminal acts": rallies, pickets and demonstrations.

Now the investigation officially admitted: there was no extortion. The evidence was not collected. A new article is a large-scale fraud, which, of course, will also have to somehow try to prove. Not a triumph of justice, of course, but a puncture for the UMMC.

It was funny, by the way, it turned out: investigators demanded from the accused and their lawyers a petition - they say, admit that there was fraud, and the article, so be, will change, otherwise you will remain in the status of extortionists. But Zhitenev and Bezmena were not plead. And I had to re -qualify the investigation myself, because even in our court it is not serious to go out with such an evidence base. And the court to extend the preventive measure even showed the entire degree of absurdity. By the way, Oleg Silchenko himself came to him-a former investigator in the case of Sergei Magnitsky, who first headed the investigative group in Hopra, then disappeared from this group somewhere, and now he is led again. But even he, explaining the need to extend the arrest of the accused, looked unconvincing. So much so that the prosecutor (who usually supports the investigation) stood up and said: "I ask the investigator to refuse." And he explained: the presented arguments do not have an evidence base, and the severity of an incriminated act in itself cannot be the basis for detention.

In the application of Silchenko, there are really many inconsistencies. So, in the beginning, he writes that Zhitenev and Bezmensky deliberately exaggerated his opportunity to influence protest actions (in fact, this is their “fraud”: they deceived the gullible managers of the UMMC and asked for money for what they could not do), and then asked to leave the bars, because they are allegedly active participants in the protest movement. Or one more - they can, supposedly, influence the course of the investigation. Despite the fact that they were officially announced for another two weeks: the investigative actions are completed.

The lobbyists of Nickel mining in the reserved region seem to seem to have no obstacles to their path. Or maybe they need to report on the funds spent on the fight against protest?

Well, the main thesis, of course, is the presence of unidentified accomplices at large. As evidence, Silchenko petitioned for the application to the materials of the court to decipher the wiretapping of the telephone conversation of Konstantin Rubakhin, the coordinator of the “Hopra” movement, with the local resident Nelly Rudchenko. What does Rubakhin have to do with it, when the court about whether or not to extend the deadline for two other people, it seems, even the judge did not immediately understand - but the document was attached. And Silchenko quoted a piece of dialogue: Rubakhin says that he is in the presidential administration - preparing an appeal regarding the initiation of a criminal case, and calls on people to go out on single pickets, protest against the arrest of Zhitenev and Bezamensky. Lawyers did not even object to the application of the petition - they left the court at the discretion. The defender of Bezmensky Vladimir Golubev only carefully asked: once to contact the presidential administration is complicity, whether he was illegal complaints about the actions of investigators in the Investigative Committee and the FSB.

Of course, no one expected that the judge would suddenly decide to free people detained almost a year ago on bail or at least under house arrest. The main thing is that the investigation could not turn them into rag dolls that would twitch on a thread. Zhitenev begins his every speech in court by the fact that he did not admit and does not admit guilt - and does not understand at all why he is being held here. Bezmensky tells the judge how even in jail threatened the company's employees at the same time with investigators from the GuibipK.

Activists have to not only fight plans for the extraction of non -ferrous metals in the Chernozemye in daily mode, but also protect their arrested comrades. And all this happens against the backdrop of confident statements by the UMMC, that in 2016 the construction of the GOK on Khopra will begin. It used to be said that at first intelligence, and then "as the people will decide." The Governor of the Voronezh region repeated this several times. Now the lobbyists of Nickel mining in the reserved region seems to seem that there are no obstacles to their path. Or maybe they need to report on the funds spent on the fight against protest? Only activists have already experienced not one shift of the team of fighters with them, and rallies, collection of signatures against the plant continue. The next measures against barbaric plans to make the mining from the agricultural regulations will not be long in coming.

Tatyana Kargina - Director for the development of the movement of ECA , participant in the movement "in defense of Hopra"