Investigators are interested in three

A criminal case was opened in Yekaterinburg on the fact of "riots" in the square

The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Mass riots" in connection with May events in the square near the Drama Theater. About this with reference to the press secretary of the Sverdlovsk headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Valery Gorelykh was informed by the special corner of the Komsomolskaya Pravda Ulyana Skoibed. Later, information on the initiation of a criminal case was confirmed by sources of the Ural media, Yekaterinburg human rights defenders and lawyers. The Investigative Committee itself does not give any comments.

It is known that at the moment the case is uncofigrant. There are no suspects in it. But in the field of view of the security forces, presumably, people who were previously brought to administrative responsibility for participating in shares in defense of the square were entered. According to the Yekaterinburg lawyer Alexei Bushmakov, investigators are now interested in three people.

“According to my data, law enforcement officers have certain interests in relation to three residents of Yekaterinburg, who were previously brought to administrative responsibility. I will not name their surnames to you, ”Bushmakov said to the city portal 66.ru.

More than a hundred people were previously detained for participating in protests in the square. All of them are now at risk. Human rights activists have already given them recommendations:

“If you are called into the UK or the criminal investigation, supposedly“ talk ”,“ become a witness ”, then go there only on the agenda and only with a lawyer. I also advise, if possible, to have an open visa or Schengen. This is necessary in order to leave the country in an emergency, ”Right-Military Directorate Nikita Tomilov wrote in his Telegram channel.

However, it may not be necessary to leave the country with a potential suspect. Sources of the Ural media call the case unpromising: the investigation has no indisputable evidence that the shares in defense of the square were generally organized, and did not be spontaneous in nature. “It is not enough to call [to participate in the protest action], it is necessary to organize it, distribute roles, prepare the provision,” says lawyer Alexei Bushmakov.

The fact that protest in Yekaterinburg did not have the organizers were also stated by the participants in the shares.

Moreover, it was in the absence of leaders that the protesters of the city authorities reproached, saying that they do not know who to negotiate about the fate of the square.

Applications of officials are not at all in favor of the security forces. So, the vice-governor of the Sverdlovsk region Sergey Bidonko on May 14, after the first night in the confrontation in the square, said: "Today there was no scabbard or illegal actions." And this is that on May 13, events similar to riots were just: when the fighters of the “Russian Copper Company” drove protesters from the square. Maybe it is these unrest that the investigators are interested in?

Earlier, the TFR has already opened the first criminal case associated with the confrontation in the square. The suspect is Stanislav Melnichenko (31 years old). He is suspected of “insulting a representative of the authorities” (Article 319 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, up to a year of correctional labor). Investigators believe that Melnichenko showed an indecent gesture and casually swore to the policeman Evgeny Kryukov. Protection insists that the middle finger and abuse were addressed to people behind Kryukov. In addition, they indicate that Kryukov was not dressed as a police officer, and it was impossible to recognize in him a “representative of power”.

The confrontation in the square at the Drama Theater in Yekaterinburg took place from May 13 to 16. The townspeople protested against the construction of St. Catherine’s temple in the square of the temple, which, in their opinion, would destroy the walking area near the city pond. From 1000 to 6,000 people took part in protests on different days.