“My faces wiped my shoes”: how the residents of Rostov started a case of riots

On November 5, 2017, the inhabitants of Rostov-on-Don Yang Sidorov and Vyacheslav Mordasov went to the “horse with eggs”-this is how the locals call the “Monument to the Secretary Forces” on the Square of the Soviets. Mordasov stood with the poster "Government to resign", Sidorov - "Return the land of the Rostov Pogorelians." They were detained and accused of attempted riots - like Vyacheslav Shashmin, who did not participate in the action at all.

On this day, according to the Politics of Vyacheslav Maltsev, a revolution was to be held in Russia. Mass speeches took place in many cities, in the top ten regions they opened criminal cases, which are held by more than 30 people. Many were charged with terrorist articles. At someone, as on Sidorov and Mordasov, they started cases on charges of failed riots.

In less than a month before the Maltsev revolution, Jan Sidorov turned 18 years old. It is known that he did not adjoin any movements. Sidorov participated in the anti -corruption action on March 26, 2017, which was organized by the team of Alexei Navalny in Rostov, and once went to their headquarters, but did not take part in his activity. It is only known about Mordasov that he was one of the administrators of the Chat “Revolution of 5/11/17 Rostov-on-Don” in Telegram.

Vyacheslav Shashmina considers the investigation only to the “failed participant” of the riots. OVD-info does not have data on Shashmin's involvement in any organizations.

-"At the horse with eggs"

On November 5, 2017, at least eight people were detained in Rostov-on-Don in connection with the action, according to the ATS-INFO. In telegram chat dedicated to the action, the participants agreed to meet on the Square of the Soviets “At the Horse with Eggs”. Directly on the square, the police detained Mordasov and Sidorov. The rest, including Shashmin, were caught in nearby yards.

The detainees were brought to the police department and drew up protocols on them: on Mordasov and Sidorov-about the organization of an inconsistent event (2nd part of Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), on others-on petty hooliganism (Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses) or about disobedience to the police (Article 19.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Everyone was sent under administrative arrest - someone for seven days, whom for five.

Even in the police department, the detainees were talked by employees of the Center for Combating Extremism. As follows from the survey protocol, Sidorov said that he joined the “Revolution of 5/11/17 Rostov-on-Don” in Telegraph and met Mordasov, who informed him that he published in this chat “instructions for conducting street protests with the destruction of police transport, arson of administrative buildings, confrontation with sticks, clubs and stones.” The survey also provides Sidorov’s words that they published photos of police officers, who had to be dealt with first of all after the start of the riots. Since the revolution will occur, they will not bear any responsibility for these actions, allegedly asserted Mordasov.

From the protocol it follows that, according to Sidorov, Mordasov is related to the “artillery preparation” and mentioned that his actions were coordinated with Moscow. Participants in the action allegedly were going to attack police officers who would stop the rally. Their goal was to "continue the force on the square, not excluding the arson of government buildings." It was mentioned that Mordasov took with him a folding knife to the square. At the same time, he did not find any weapons during the detention.

In the protocol of the survey, Sidorov’s words were given that he is repented in his actions. Sidorov later told lawyers and relatives that they and Mordasov were forced to stipulate each other.

On August 6, 2018, Mordasov wrote a statement about threats and violence by the employees of the E-E Center (the copy is at the disposal of the ATS-Info). According to Mordasov, an employee who talked with him on the day of detention admitted that they were not accidentally called "Estapo". He promised to apply the corresponding “methods” to Mordasov if he does not give the necessary testimony.

When the story of Mordasov did not suit the employee, he beat him in his stomach and solar plexus - "not much, but so that my breath caught my hand, and also beat his palms on the face and head." “From my words <...>, the CPE employee wrote down only circumstances, and gave the motivation to my actions himself, since he was not at all interested in the option with the usual picket, but the goal was to fabricate the testimony in which I admit that I started the riots,” Mordasov said.

Later, Mordasov learned from Sidorov and another detainee, Rustam Kurbanov, that they were also put pressure on them. Sidorov also wrote a statement about the application of violence to him. In it, he mentioned that after the detention he was struck with his palm on the head, as well as a plastic bottle filled with water.

Handcuffs and gas mask

After the detainees were sent to the special receiver, communication with the "echonniks" continued. Vladimir Sidorov, Grandfather Yana, told the OVD-Info that the employees went into cells to his grandson and Mordasov, were taken to the office, "where up to ten people were stuffed, who screamed, who kicked," and "ensured the receipt of confessions from them."

Mordasov writes in the statement that in four days, the “echniks” who previously interviewed him came to him twice in a special projector. They demanded to report the personal data of the chat participants, while again they beat and strangled. “In the office, where interrogations with addiction were constantly underway, one of the employees of the special reception was constantly and indifferently watched everything that was happening,” says Mordasov. Similar visits, according to him, were applied to Sidorov and Kurbanov.

On the first date with his grandson, Vladimir Sidorov asked if they had a psychological effect on him. Ian replied: "Yes, if you consider them a psychological impact that their boots wiped my face."

A few days later, on November 10, a criminal case was opened. In the evening of the same day, all three - Sidorov, Mordasov and Shashmin - were taken for interrogation to the investigation. They were brought by people in civilian clothes, as Mordasov recalls, on personal cars and convoy was transferred only in the management. On the way, according to his grandfather, they demanded that the investigator tell what they were “taught” to the investigator. Despite this, during the interrogation of Sidorov, he no longer said anything about the intentions to carry out riots. His testimony mentions how leaflets were prepared and how they and Mordasov bought paper, watman and gouache in Bataisk, and in Rostov - a loudspeaker and batteries. Sidorov also says that he called in the chat: if they gathered in the square will be detained, you need to cling to each other. The only thing that reminded of the "criminal intentions" with which the survey protocol was full of November 5, there were words that Mordasov had a knife with him.

During the interrogation, Shashmin also claimed that he did not plan to attack anyone. Mordasov was worse at interrogation. According to him, the investigator immediately demanded to confess the organization of riots "according to the plan of the Kyiv" Maidan "." When Mordasov tried to state his version of the events, the investigator began to threaten and demanded that the lawyer who was present at the appointment leave the office. When she went out, handcuffs put on Mordasov, and the investigator, along with the employees of the CPE, began to beat him. Then another investigator joined them, who beat him on the kidneys.

Mordasov continued to refuse to testify that was demanded of him. In response to this, the employees locked the door, took a gas mask from the locker and put Mordasov on his head without removing the air filter flap, he says. This execution was repeated twice.

“Having received a negative answer again, they were furious, they knocked me down on the floor and all four of them began to kick me with their feet, and one of them carefully aimed at my foot in genitals. Holding on this way for several minutes and finally having lost strength and the hope that these faces will stop or one of those present will come to my aid, I agreed to admit, ”says Mordasov.

The investigator recorded the testimony, adding something from himself, gave Mordasov a copy of the protocol and ordered to learn by heart. According to Mordasov, the investigator warned that on November 11 “there would be a test of readings on the spot” and if he goes far from the text, “the whole nightmare will begin first.”

Later, Grandfather Sidorov demanded to initiate a criminal case on bringing a deliberately innocent criminal liability (Article 299 of the Criminal Code), illegal detention and detention (Article 301 of the Criminal Code) and forced to give evidence (Article 302 of the Criminal Code). Based on the results of the audit in the initiation of the case, the case was refused. True, then the refusal was canceled, and an additional check began. However, Sidorov’s lawyer Marat Gagloev believes that the bodies only create the appearance of activity.

The decision on the refusal states that the arguments on the application of the strikes are “objectively refuted” by the protocol of the medical examination, according to which Sidorov did not find any bodily injuries. The presentation of the employees of the ED center in some fragments is almost identical. All of them claim that Sidorov was carried for interrogation in a service car, they did not give any instructions on the road and did not apply violence.

Lawyers did not be on duty

All three suspects at interrogations were attended by lawyers for their intended purpose. On November 10, Sidorova’s mother entered into an agreement with lawyer Yevgeny Lisitsyn, and Sidorov, who managed to talk with his mother, told the investigator about this. Lisitsyn arrived in the investigation department in the evening of that day, but he was not allowed.

Later it turned out that not one of the lawyers for their intended purpose should have acted in this role that day. According to the rules adopted in the lawyer chambers, the lawyers defending the intended purpose have a schedule of duty - that is, each of them can be involved in investigative actions only on certain days. As Sidorov Sr. said, lawyers assigned to Sidorov, Mordasov and Shashmin were not on duty on November 10.

Yan Sidorov later indicated in his statement that the next day, during the “testing of testimony on the spot”, the employees of the “E” center began to beat him and strangle him, demanding that he confess and report on the involvement of the rest. But that day, Lisitsyn’s lawyer was already allowed to Sidorov, and Sidorov did not succumb to pressure.

Later, Sidorova’s mother filed a complaint against the appointed lawyer, and the lawyer's chamber admitted that the lawyer was on duty not on her day. The lawyer Lev Dorofeev, representing the interests of Mordasov, told the OVD-Info that later one of these appointed lawyers was retired, the other was deprived of status, "that is, they somehow began to scatter everything."

There is no event

On November 10, Sidorov and Mordasov were detained already in the framework of a criminal case, despite the fact that the term of their administrative arrest has not yet ended. At the same time and. O. The head of the special receptionist wrote to the judge of the Kirovsky district court, who arrested Sidorov that he was released from the special receiver on November 12, the lawyer Gagloev noted.

Sidorov and Mordasov were charged with attempting both to participate in the riots and their organization (the 1st and 2nd part of Article 212 of the Criminal Code, respectively, both using the 3rd part of Article 30). Both of them are in jail. Vyacheslav Shashmina was accused under the 2nd part of the 212th article using the 3rd part of the 30th and placed under house arrest.

The decision to initiate the case says that Mordasov, Sidorov and Shashmin, as well as unidentified faces “shared the views” of “artillery”. Mordasov is charged with the creation of a chat in Telegram and the organization along with Sidorov, whom he endowed with the rights of the Chat administrator, a meeting with accomplices in the Shawarma-24 cafe.

It was mentioned that there were at least 200 participants in the chat and that Mordasov and Sidorov planned to attract them all. Shashmin is accused of joining the chat. Directly on November 5, all three, as well as unidentified persons “committed active actions to publicly demonstrate campaign materials, <...> collecting the crowd, and intending to make provocations against representatives of law enforcement agencies when trying to detain these unrest participants, and thereby tried to start them.” However, police officers stopped their criminal activity.

Sidorov’s lawyer Marat Gagloev notes that when the police approached Mordasov and Sidorov, they demanded to show posters, and then go to the department, they, “without trying to fight back or run away, calmly followed the car and drove to the police department.” According to the lawyer, this clearly contradicts the intentions indicated in the decree to provoke the police to detains, and then arrange the same riots. “What prevented them from completing their criminal intent? They didn’t bold them, laid it on the ground and did not let them grow old. There is no answer to this question, ”concludes Gagloev.

Alien replicas

It could be assumed that data on the criminal intentions of Mordasov, Sidorov and Shashmin are withdrawn from what they wrote in the chat. Now there is no access to the chat, but there are screenshots in the case, from which it follows that none of the accused called for violence or something similar to riots. Sidorov, on the contrary, emphasized in every possible way in the chat that the action on November 5 should have a peaceful character. When the interlocutors answered that this does not make sense and it was necessary to arrange a force rally, Sidorov wrote: “Yeah, and from a thinking citizen you turned into a bandit who can be shot out of disobedience ... Even Maltsev said that the power action will only be applied by force” ( Orphography and punctuation of the original are maintained ).

Moreover, the author of the linguistic examination ordered by the investigation took five replicas with such calls - the need to use violence, beat and even shoot police officers, as well as take “cocktails, knife” with them - but they all belong to other users of the chat. According to the defense, the investigation did not establish any of them. Lawyer Gagloev suspects that these are provocateurs - "either existing employees or agents."

The investigation is coming

In addition to a linguistic examination, lawyers from time to time introduce the inspection of some items, foreign computers and phones, without explaining what they are related to the case. “We ask the investigator the question of what it has to do with us and in general what it is, about what, in whose soul. We remain unanswered to this question, ”comments Lev Dorofeev, lawyer.

The accused themselves from the moment of the charges were no longer interrogated. They did not conduct confrontation either with each other or with numerous witnesses (according to Glloev, there are about fifty in the case), although the defense asked for this. Dorofeev believes that the investigation does not do this intentionally. He indicates that the chat in Telegram had several administrators, but not all of them were charged. “We ask the investigator a question, and why not all administrators were established, questioned,” the investigator is silent. He can be silent for two reasons. Or because it is very difficult to prove something in composition here, because everything is very contradictory. Or the consequence of some administrator, that is, a potential criminal, according to the investigation, hides, ”says the lawyer.

According to the defense, at least some witnesses were threatened. At least three detainees on November 5 - Rustam Kurbanov, Andrei Vlasov and Eldar Timchenko - were repeatedly detained at the exit of the special receiver, where they were serving administrative arrest. Dorofeev tells how the investigation works with them: “A person is made to a person: either you have the 212nd part 1, or you are a witness to us. Since the whole group, which was even in a telegram, even in the square, is young guys, roughly speaking, almost teenagers, what can be expected from a teenager when he hears such an offer? He says they will tell him. ”

Searches of other people continue in connection with the case. As it became known to the ATS-Info, in June a search was held by Alexei Strokov, who was on stocks in Moscow on November 5 and was arrested there. He was a participant in the Rostov chat and passes a witness in the case, he was seized from him.

After the next extension of the arrest, in July, Jan Sidorov announced a hunger strike . Speaking in court, he said: “This absurdity, arranged by the Investigative Committee and CPE employees who tore off our peaceful protest, continues. For eight months from the connivance of the court and the prosecutor's office, we have been accused of attempted riots. I am simply surprised, you know, by the actions of justice bodies, who not only do not want to hear our arguments, but also try to imagine that they seem to be in custody legally, with legal criminal prosecution. Although I see that this persecution has a purely political character. ” A few weeks later, Sidorov stopped the hunger strike at the request of relatives.

Правозащитный центр «Мемориал» признал Яна Сидорова и Владислава Мордасова политзаключенными.