Article 286, political

Those who defended the Committee against torture talk about their attitude to the recognition of the Committee by a "foreign agent"

The Interregional Public Organization "Committee against torture" this week was fined 300 thousand rubles. The decision was made by the peace in Nizhny Novgorod. As follows from the message on the website of the committee against torture, the organization indicated the absence of information in June in June that these materials were published by an NPO performing the functions of a foreign agent in June. The protocol on an administrative offense spoke of an organized NPO on June 26 a picket in Nizhny Novgorod as part of the International UN Day to support the victims of torture.

Igor Kalyapin , who headed the committee against torture for many years, emphasizes that he considers the Ministry of Justice to include the organization to bring the organization to the register of "foreign agents". “The Committee against torture was never a anyone agent,” Kalyapin emphasized, according to whom, conducting a picket on June 26, he and his associates proceeded from the fact that they would be able to challenge in court the list of “foreign agents”. Later, when this could not be done, a decision was made to liquidate the organization, Kalyapin added.

On June 26, a documentary called "286", shot by one of the lawyers of the committee against torture Evgeny Chilikov , was released. It contains evidence of those to whom the fund helped, and their opinions on the recognition of the Committee of the Foreign Agent. In an interview with Radio, Freedom Yevgeny Chilikov talked about how the film was filmed and in what form the committee against torture is going to continue its activities.

- The film is called "286". Why?

- Most often, we have to work, to "drag out" cases to the court related to violation of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. So, in fact, the name for this film appeared. But it appeared a little later. It was not planned to shoot the film. Filmed short videos for another project. But gradually there was a lot of material that we designed in this half -hour film.

People began to cry, left to smoke, drink water ...

- The film says people who have suffered from torture. And they were tortured by law enforcement officers. Pretty terrible evidence is given there. In general, how difficult was it to "talk" such people? Was it difficult to find those who agreed to speak?

- The shooting of these videos was associated with the entry of the committee against torture in the register of foreign agents, which, in principle, meant to organize a speedy liquidation. All the people who work in the committee believe that they do not work in the interests of some foreign state, not in the interests of any foreign special services, as the Russian State Spopaganda is very often trying to present our work for the population now. And in the interests of specific applicants, the specific sacrifices who come to us, apply. And in the interests of Russian society in principle. We, working with special cases, with private appeals, with a particular trouble, we are trying to correct the situation as a whole. This must be understood. These people, whom state authorities abandoned state authorities, and they simply had nowhere to contact them, except for the committee against torture, of course, a sense of gratitude. And they agreed to take part in these shootings. Of course, not all. To talk, somehow pulling this pain from them that they share in these plots was sometimes difficult. People began to cry, left to smoke, drink water. It was not easy to shoot. Not all the serious things that we were told about were entered into the film itself, because it seemed to us that the horror there was enough. Many points had to be simply excluded so as not to injure the viewer.

Any public statement is recognized as "political activity"

- How long did it take to make a film?

- The shooting itself lasted less than a week. But the installation took a lot of time, because initially we did not expect to create such a film. But subsequently slowly, gradually, the film began to be made out, received some kind of structure desired and was completed. The release was timed to the International Day in support of the victims of torture on June 26.

-One way or another, your main work in the committee is still a legal work. You are protecting the victims of torture. You have already mentioned that the committee was recognized as a foreign agent. We are talking the next day after a fine of 300 thousand rubles was imposed on the committee for not indicating that it was a “foreign agent”. You also said that the committee is liquidated. What are the further actions? Will there be at least some structure that will protect citizens from torture and violence?

- Yes, it will certainly exist. Why liquidation takes place, I already said. We have people who can be called patriots. The same Igor Aleksandrovich Kalyapin, the chairman of our organization, the person who served in the army, for a very long time was engaged in human rights activities at his own expense that he had. That is, from the time when there was no funding in principle. Of course, for people of this format it is simply offensive to hang a “foreign agent” label on themselves. Here, such a “horse’s move” takes place when it is with these sly cunning people who write laws on foreign agents to cunning. At the moment, the law on foreign agents says that a legal entity that has foreign financing and is engaged in political activities. And "political activity" in Russia now ... Any public statement is recognized as "political activity." An organization will simply be created that will engage in public activities, make some statements, will not have any financing, and there will be an organization that will be funded and not have any political activity will not be engaged in. There will be such a division.

Not all that was told about us was the film, because it seemed to us that the horizons were there anyway

- That is, a kind of formal division that will allow you to defend in court in case of next accusations ...

- The accusations will not even arise, because at the moment, according to the letter of the law, in principle, such an accusation cannot be.

-But maybe the authorities will declare that the structures that you spoke about are somehow connected ...

- Formally, they will not be connected in any way. Of course, we are not building any illusions. We understand that we in our native state play according to the rules of our native state, which behaves somewhat dishonestly. "Foreign Agent" is a concept developed by the international community. This is an agent who acts in the interests of a person who is outside of Russia, some country. The interests of specific citizens and Russian society are immediately observed. Unfortunately, in Russia, in Russia, a somewhat distorted understanding that if financing is from abroad, this does not mean at all that some kind of serving, plans, orders are underway with financial flows. People cannot understand this. In Russia, it is believed that "who pays salaries is the master." People cannot rebuild and understand that a person could have been engaged in human rights activities all his life, and then someone offered him a money under some kind of project, because this "someone" sees that the organization is developing correctly, it really helps people. Just people want to help. This model of behavior, characteristic of Europeans, is incomprehensible to people in Russia. Nevertheless, some "patriotic" circles declare that, of course, an organization such as a committee against torture is needed in Russia. But it must exist for Russian money. Here we can partially object. Because such a structure in Russia formally exists - this is the Investigative Committee. There is even a special department who is engaged in exclusively official crimes. But people turn there and do not achieve any results. Everything is very simple. Because when some evidence base appears regarding the excess of official powers by some boss or ordinary police captain, it immediately turns out that a whole network of some acquaintances is between the investigator and the suspect. As a result, nothing happens. The case is either not excited, or is excited for visibility, and then gradually "drowning". Unfortunately, this "master and serf" system is present in the minds of people.

- You personally, what made you come to the committee against torture?

- Even before coming to the committee against torture, I was engaged in anti -fascist activities in Russia. She is now relevant, she just moved a little to another phase. At that time she was at the peak. Many young people who grew up in the 90s were essentially in the vacuum of education, in fact no one needed, did not see any social elevators in society. The youth became very radical-someone became left-wing, someone right-bending. Of course, there are much more right -wing radicals. It was easier for people to see the problems that surround them. Consider that the visitors are extremely guilty, Jews, etc. Interpretability and violence swept just young people - there were a very wide field of activity. Somehow, all this gradually grew into an understanding that you need to do some more serious and adult things. And at the end of the university he went to work, says lawyer Yevgeny Chilikov.

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  Andrey Sharogradsky

  International Radio Offer Freedom. Author and host of the information and analytical digest, podcast "Time of Freedom"