American passport, searches, grenades: how they are pursuing participants in “garbage protests”

Pomegranates in Polenitsa at the Resurrection Activist

The first detention occurred in December 2017. Activist Alexei Kholkin and his associates planned to hold single pickets in the center of Moscow against the construction of a garbage plant and a landfill landfill in the Voskresensky district. Kholkin and other members of the initiative group were detained. On the same day, activists were released from the China-Gorod police department without drawing up a protocol.

On August 30, 2018, the initiative group went to the head of the administration of the Voskresensky district Vitaly Chekhov, demanding to cancel the decision on the construction of a garbage engineering plant in Voskresensk. He was handed over to a written appeal. And then - detention and drawing up protocols on some activists. Kholkin himself was arrested for six days, accusing the organization of an inconsistent action.

The initiative group continues to fight against the garbage plant, but the administration does not coordinate rallies in the city center. Nine notifications have already been rejected. Alexei Kholkin says that the official reason for the refusals is to carry out repair work or any events at the declared site.

“It is increasingly difficult for us to express our civil position within the existing law. It’s even hard to imagine how it will all end. Now my associate can hang the case. There was a search, and near his house two grenades were discovered. All this is very alarming, but we do not plan to give up. Despite the fact that the methods are becoming tougher, ”says the activist.

We are talking about Maxim Chernykh. He is one of the founders of the movement against the construction of a garbage plant in the Voskresensky district "I am the people!" According to Maxim, it was his activist activity that caused the interest from law enforcement agencies.

During the search, the Black Law enforcement officers allegedly discovered two grenades in the logs near the house. Politician Dmitry Gudkov noted : “A little detail: In order to get to the logn, the FSB officers asked the owner of the house a shovel, he excommunicated after her-and then everything was found.”

Activist Alexei Kholkin informed the OVD-Info that the Black Blacks had not yet made a clear decision regarding the future fate of Maxim: “The results of the examination are not ready, the case has not been instituted, the charges have not been charged. Everything is in suspended state. ”

Protests against the Yarovo garbage training ground

In March 2018, the protests of the inhabitants of Volokolamsk against the Yadrovo garbage training ground began. People complained about the unbearable smell from the landfill, and on March 21 , due to the release of landfill gas, 50 children turned to the hospital with complaints of poor health. Several students of the Volokolamsk school were suspected with poisoning with suspicion of poisoning.

Residents of Volokolamsk stated that local authorities were not fulfilling their promises to eliminate the smell from the landfill. On March 8, people tried to block the passage of garbage trucks to the training ground themselves. About ten activists were detained, some drawn up protocols about the disobedience of the police and a violation of the order of the mass event. And on the tenth of March, several thousand people gathered at the gate of Yadrovo, protesting against the stench that the landfill spreads. The police again detained several activists.

How the FSB was looking for an activist Lyubimov American passport

One of the leaders of the movement against Yadrovo Artem Lyubimov was detained on March 31, 2018. He was heading for a rally in Volokolamsk when the police stopped his car. On Lyubimov, they made a protocol on disobedience to the police and detained for 48 hours. Lawyer Denis Kunaev, who represents the interests of the activist, emphasized: Lyubimov was declared as the main speaker at the rally on April 1.

The action on April 1 still took place. After its end, ten more people were detained . Employees of the criminal investigation department did not explain the reason for the detention. Soon, activists were released without drawing up the protocol, but they took explanatory ones from them. Police officers were interested in why the detainees came to the rally where they live, work or study.

On the same day, Artem Lyubimov announced a hunger strike in the police department, where he expected the court. The court arrested Lyubimov for 15 days. Lawyer Denis Kunaev reported that before that, they followed Lyubimov for several days.

On April on April, in the activist’s apartment, his defender Julia Kulikova, as well as as amended by the Volokolamsk Week newspaper, which illuminated “garbage” protests, searches . According to Denis Kunaev, they were not authorized by the court. Lyubimov himself was not present during the search, as he was in a special detention center. His wife and daughter told him that "police officers themselves did not really understand what they could look for." Lyubimov believes that it was an “intimidation action”.

According to him, on the same day, searches took place at least another 15 people with whom Lyubimov was related to work. Maria Murashova, the editor -in -chief of the Volokolamsk Week, said that the search was held in a criminal case on a number of limited liability companies. “About ten items unknown to me. And they are looking for, as they explained to me, the affiliation of our newspaper with these legal entities, ”Murashova specified .

On April fifteen, the Moscow Regional Court canceled the decision to arrest Lyubimov in connection with the unproven guilt. Lyubimov was released, having already served his punishment. And in August, a new case was opened on activist, this time criminal. He was accused of non -fulfillment of the obligation to submit a notification of the presence of a second citizenship (Article 330.2 of the Criminal Code).

According to investigators, Artem Lyubimov, as a US citizen, has not reported this to the migration bodies since 2014. Lyubimov himself denied his second citizenship. He provided the editorial office of The Village with a copy of his American visa from 2012 to 2015. “The Americans are not given a visa in the United States,” said Lyubimov. Later he had a search.

“FSB officers were clearly not eager to conduct it. They examined more or less normally only one room, and the remaining ones, one might say, did not look, ”said Lyubimov OVD-info .

According to the activist, when the FSB officers reported that they were looking for an American passport and residence permit in his apartment, he first did not believe them.

“I said:“ You are not kidding? I already let you in, tell me what you need. If I have something , I will give you up and we will leave faster. ” They said they were not joking. Then I relaxed and in a joking uniform offered them a prize if they find an American passport from me. Naturally, they did not find him, ”says Artem Lyubimov.

On October second, 2018, the Investigative Committee canceled the decision to institute criminal proceedings against the activist.

Courts are sided with the training grounds

The claims against LLC Yadrovovo are rejected one by one, the courts are not found for the termination of the training ground. Nevertheless, last year the Yadrovo operator was fined 150 thousand rubles for non -compliance with environmental requirements.

In February, the Arbitration Court of the Moscow Region again began to consider the claim of the Volokolamsk administration against Yadrovo on the termination of the landfill. Previously, production was suspended for the duration of the environmental examination.

Artem Lyubimov believes that the chances of winning the Volokolamsk administration are small. “ Firstly , the administration of the city settlement is an improper plaintiff. Secondly , the courts sequentially sided with the training grounds with the support of the regional administration. I think, unfortunately, there will be no positive solution to this issue, ”said Lyubimov OVD-info .

According to the activist, the Volokolamsy protest against Yadrovo is now divided into two groups. One continues to conduct rallies - although not as numerous as last year - and the other is trying to agree with officials. “The purpose of the rallies was to force the authorities to go to a dialogue with civil society. I think that we are at least partially, but we have achieved it, ”says Lyubimov.

Searches from Volokolamsk businessmen

On the first of April, during the rally, against the Yadrovo training ground, for no explanation of reasons, the local businessman, activist Andrei Zhdanov was detained . He was taken to the police department, and after that Zhdanov stopped contacting. Lawyer Marina Batov was not allowed to be allowed. According to Zhdanov, the interrogation led without a lawyer until late in the evening.

The court arrested the activist for 14 days, finding guilty under Part 3 of Article 20.2 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (organization of an inconsistent event that entailed interference with pedestrians and transport). Later, the term was reduced to 12 days.

While Zhdanov was in a special -reception, a search was searched in the Rome store. Goods and financial statements were removed from the store. People in civilian clothes also seized computers, documents and goods from tenants Zhdanov. A riot police appeared in the retail outlets of the activist.

Elena Zhdanova, the wife of an arrested activist, said that on April on April, “checking” came to their family store. “Inspectors” showed documents only after they made a control purchase.

“We have been engaged in entrepreneurial activity for more than 20 years, in this form a check is for the first time for us. This coincidence is not a coincidence, ”said Elena.

The search, according to Andrei Zhdanov, did not lead to anything: “What they dig now, I cannot know. But the local police treat me normally. ” The activist intends to continue the struggle against “Yadrovo”.

The search took place in the office of another Volokolamsk activist and businessman, Ramazan Bayramov. Law enforcement officers also examined a car wash belonging to Bayramov. All documents and computers were seized from him. One of the employees of the car wash, a citizen of Uzbekistan, was detained. Information that the procedure for its expulsion from Russia began on the Lamagrad website.

Pressure on the mayor of Volokolamsk. He agreed on rallies against the training ground

On April on April on April, the former mayor of Volokolamsk, Peter Lazarev, said that he had a criminal case under an article on fraud on an especially large scale. Lazarev repeatedly coordinated rallies against “Yadrovo” and spoke on the side of the protesters. The son of the mayor Paul reported that his father was put pressure: “There were threats from the region. Not only did some criminal people approach the father from the side of the officials, expressed dissatisfaction: “If you agree on the rally again, repressions will follow”. ”

In October 2018, Peter Lazarev resigned . The official reason is “for health reasons”. When asked about whether he left the post or forced him, Lazarev refused to answer. On October 26, Lazarev was questioned as a witness - according to the "Medusa", in the case of abuse of authority. “No criminal cases have started on me, the fact that I was interrogated as a witness, yes. In what business - for a long time to tell, there is neither desire nor time, ”said Lazarev himself.

The case is against the ex-head of the Serpukhov district. He was against the export of Moscow garbage to the Lesnaya training ground

In April 2018, the head of the Serpukhov district, Alexander Shestun, recorded a video message to Vladimir Putin, in which he spoke about threats from the Governor of the Moscow Region Andrei Vorobyov.

“The Governor of the Moscow Region Vorobyov is trying to eliminate me for the fact that I am against the liquidation of the Serpukhov district, for the fact that I am against the placement of the giant flow of Moscow garbage at the Lesnaya training ground,” the official said.

According to Shestun, he was also demanded not to coordinate the rally for the closure of the Lesnaya garbage training ground on April 14 and not to participate in the September elections of the head of the Serpukhov district. Otherwise, they promised to start “custom -made business” and seize the site on which his house was built on Shestun.

In June 2018, Alexander Shestuna was detained in the criminal case of abuse of authority (Article 286 of the Criminal Code) and placed in jail. The official was accused of illegally transferred the property to the legal entity at preferential value. Later, he was brought by several more accusations: under an article on fraud (Article 159 of the Criminal Code), illegal entrepreneurship (Article 289 of the Criminal Code) and the legalization of money or property acquired as a result of a crime (Article 174.1 of the Criminal Code). An article on exceeding official powers was excluded from the prosecution.

On July 31, Shestun declared a hunger strike in a pre-trial detention center due to the fact that he was not allowed a lawyer and did not allow a candidate in the elections of the head of the Serpukhov district. A month later he was hospitalized .

In October, the ex-head of the Serpukhov district said that he was attacked by a cellmate-a professional fighter without rules. According to Shestun, the neighbor shouted that he would kill him, and waving his pointed spoon. In February 2019, Shestun said that he was beaten by the FSIN and police on the way to the court. According to the former official, he was thrown on the asphalt and beaten with batons throughout the body.

Shestun has been under arrest for eight months. On February 8, he declared a new hunger strike.

The case of Vyacheslav Egorova. Activist is judged by the "Dadin" article

In the spring of 2017, the inhabitants of Kolomna began to complain about the unpleasant smell emanating from the Volovichi garbage training ground. On the morning of March 25, after "at night around the landfill," local residents tried to block the road to the landfill. People did not miss the landfill more than 20 trucks. The activist Vyacheslav Egorov emphasized that the inhabitants gathered near the “Volovichi” spontaneously, nothing was planned in advance.

Since then, up to 50 people have been on duty around the landfill daily. Activists were regularly detained .

In April, one of the posts of Vyacheslav Egorov on Facebook was sent for examination. Law enforcement officers considered that the post could excite readers with hatred for officials. Egorov was later detained several times on shares against the garbage training ground.

In the winter of 2018, other Kolomensky activists, members of the group “No landfill Kolomna” were searches. According to activist Ivan Zhuravlev, they seized phones, computers and demanded to inform Pin codes . Gennady Gudkov’s newspapers “garbage Kremlin” were also taken and searched at the houses of those who distributed them. Gudkov’s politicians, along with residents, oppose the construction of another garbage training ground near Kolomna, near the village of Myachkovo.

The searches were held in the criminal case under Article 212.1 of the Criminal Code (repeated violation of the rules for rallies), excited against Vyacheslav Egorov. The human rights activists call this article “Dadinskaya”: in Russia, only one person was convicted of it - the opposition civil activist Ildar Dadin.

The reason for the initiation of the case was the events of December 13. On that day in Kolomna, the trial of politicians Dmitry and Gennady Gudkovs passed. They were accused of organizing an inconsistent action: politicians called the inhabitants of Kolomna protesting against the garbage training ground in Myachkovo to withdraw in the video.

All the Kolomans who came to the court of Gudkov did not get into the small hall of the meetings, many remained to wait outside. The police regarded this as an inconsistent rally. Egorov was detained , considering the organizer: the activist wrote to the court in an article on Yandex. Zen that everyone can come to the meeting and support the Gudkovs.

“Egorov writes that everyone can come to an open meeting. But the fact is that the courtroom was so small that everyone did not fit there. They expected the end of the process at the court building. There, of course, there were no slogans, no scene, no sound amplifying equipment. But this was considered a rally. This is just nonsense, ”said activist’s lawyer Maria Eismont, representing the interests of the activist.

Egorov said that he was more than once threatened with criminal liability. Screenshots of media reports were attached to the case against him that the police chief hinted to the activist about the threat of a criminal term in case he did not stop activist activities.

On the second of February, the Kolomensky city court sent Egorov under house arrest. The meeting was held closed. There was no reason for this, according to lawyer Maria Aismont: there was nothing in the case that could make up an investigative secret.

The human rights center "Memorial" recognized Vyacheslav Egorov by a political prisoner.