The investigator returned the equipment and documents seized during the search to the chairman of the Perm Memorial • OVD-Info • RIMA

The investigator returned the equipment and documents seized during the search to the chairman of the Perm Memorial

The investigator of the Main Investigation Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the Perm Territory returned the equipment and documents seized during the search to the head of the local Memorial, Robert Latypov, and the organization itself. This was reported by the head of the international human rights group "Agora" Pavel Chikov in his Telegram channel with reference to lawyer Anastasia Shardakova.

Chikov also clarifies that Latypov was interrogated as a witness and that at the moment the security forces “do not have any claims” against Latypov and the Perm Memorial.

On October 31, FSB officers, Center E, investigators from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and representatives of the Investigative Committee came to search the office of the Perm regional branch of Memorial and the home of the organization’s chairman, Robert Latypov. “It raises big questions why FSB officers are present during an ordinary crime. They need to search saws and shovels, and confiscate all documents and electronic media. In fact, it is clear that FSB officers are in charge of everything, and not the investigator,” lawyer Alexey Shardakov commented on the investigative actions.
Earlier in October, the Ministry of Forestry of the Perm Territory fined the chairman of the Perm “Memorial” Robert Latypov 50 thousand rubles and the society itself 200 thousand rubles for an expedition to the cemetery of Lithuanian and Polish repressed people. The fines were imposed under the article on unauthorized occupation of forest areas (Article 7.9 of the Administrative Code).
On August 10 and 11, police came to the expedition for interrogation, and a few days later two criminal cases were opened . The expedition members were accused of illegal logging (Article 260 of the Criminal Code), and local resident Leonid Ladanov was accused of fictitious registration of foreign citizens (Article 322.2 of the Criminal Code)