Translated material
“They beat people to disperse”: stories of those detained at a rally near the Moscow City Election Commission
Maxim Verkhoturov
When they began to disperse people at the Moscow City Election Commission, I was nearby at the time of the arrest of [candidate] Lyubov Sobol (during the dispersal of the action, she found herself at the epicenter of police actions - OVD-Info ). They grabbed me by the neck with a special grip, threw me onto the asphalt, and started kicking me in the stomach, ribs and head. police officers kicked Four or five . As I understand it, the police wanted to scare the others. People stood and shouted - I don’t know, maybe they beat me so that people would start to disperse.
I covered my face and everything I could. Then they turned me over, pressed the top of my T-shirt over my throat and carried me into a paddy wagon. They roughly leaned me against the paddy wagon, conducted an inspection without witnesses or video recording, forced me inside, and I fell there next to the benches. When I was detained, things disappeared from my pocket; only my passport and keys were returned to me. My second phone, a power bank with a wire, bank cards - everything was left somewhere on the street (one of the bank cards was later found - OVD-Info ). I was delayed so much that it’s not surprising [that things got lost].
We left the paddy wagon at about nine in the evening. We went to the Luzhniki police department, but there they blocked our way and said: leave. But then two policemen and one in civilian clothes ran out and forcibly detained Sobol, me and another person. Who they could: there were three of them.
Sable was detained very roughly and beaten. Those who were nearby and tried to help also got it – me and Alexey Minyailo. It was very tough in the department: they threw me on the tiled floor at the entrance to the metal detector. They took me to the department and forbade me to use my phone; they tried to snatch it.
At the Luzhniki police station, violence was used against Alexey Minyailo pic.twitter.com/PAU7OaTjn7
— OVD-Info (@OvdInfo) July 14, 2019
I made a video of the beating of Alexey Minyailo, and again two people started taking my phone away. I demanded from them a protocol of inspection and seizure if they were going to seize the phone. He said that a lawyer would come - this calmed them down a little. Just like calling OVD-Info .
They moved me to another room, the police came in one by one, shouted at me, saying what they would have done to me “if it weren’t for the uniform.” Soon the lawyer arrived. I called an ambulance to the department twice: my head was pounding incredibly badly, my ribs hurt, it was painful to walk, sit, and turn.
I have a concussion, bruised hip and ribs. The tailbone and spine hurt a lot, there are a lot of abrasions. I recorded all the beatings, I am in the hospital under the supervision of doctors. A senior police lieutenant came to see me and offered to talk. I refused to do this without a lawyer.
Petr Puzikov
When the paddy wagons arrived and the police went towards the crowd, Lyubov Sobol began to block us. I stood as close to her as possible, and a stampede began. During the stampede, the police grabbed those who were closest to them. Sobol said: everything is legal, I came to talk to my voters, there is no need to detain anyone. Naturally, they didn’t listen to her.
A very severe beating in a paddy wagon.
— OVD-Info (@OvdInfo) July 14, 2019
If you see something like this, send videos and photos to us in the bot: https://t.co/rgcCDpHE1L pic.twitter.com/3y0EXqYi4n
Their hands were in gloves; they pinched my nose and mouth, cutting off my oxygen. Without access to oxygen, the head begins to spin, the person’s strength leaves, and it is easier to drag him. Everyone in the paddy wagon said that they detained him very harshly. They struck me while they were dragging me and when they were pushing me into the paddy wagon. When the paddy wagon drove off, they no longer beat me. I was left with a few bruises. I have recorded the injuries while I am wondering whether I will complain.
Georgiy
It was about eight in the evening, everyone began to leave the Moscow City Election Commission. I went behind the Duma cafe, there is a passage in the courtyard. Several people ran up to me from behind and hit me on the head with a baton. I don’t know why they beat me, it seems to me that there was no logic in it.
They took me away, I called an ambulance at the police station, I was taken to the Botkin hospital and was diagnosed with a mild concussion and a bruised knee. I don’t know whether I will write complaints about the actions of the police, I’m still thinking.