Translated material
"Publishers' Case"
They collected everything that was known to this minute about the criminal case against employees of Individuum and Popcorn Books
Photo: Sergey Shelagin / Kommersant
All day on May 14, readers, scribes and generally all people involved in the book market, people intensely read news from Novosibirsk: they came to the local independent book “Map of the World” - they searched, according to sources, literature that promotes LGBT*. But in the evening, another one was added to this news: it turns out that they came with searches not only in Novosibirsk, but also in Moscow, and several employees - former and active - publishing houses Individuum and Popcorn Books were defendants in the criminal case.
According to the “first department” **, the criminal case opened the Main Directorate of the IC of the Russian Federation in Moscow on the basis of the report of the Main Directorate for Economic Security of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia late on the evening of May 13, and investigative actions were carried out throughout the day on May 14 and on the night of May 14 to 15. Until now, very little is known about the case - there is not even an exact list of names of the under investigation. Nevertheless, a matter that, from its first day, begins to resemble either the “theatrical” or the deeds, which were led during the time of the Stalinist repressions, and which Vladimir Kharitonov instantly and accurately called the “publishers' affair,” begins to grow in details, and in anticipation of the announcement of the preventive measure, we collected all the information known at the moment.
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At about o'clock in the afternoon of May 14, the ex-deputy of the City Council of Novosibirsk Svetlana Kaverzina reported in her telegram channel about searches in an independent bookstore "World Cup". What books were looking for in Novosibirsk is not reported, and the connection of this episode with what is happening in Moscow is also not completely clear, and in the store the situation will not be commented. A source of the 7x7 ** publication said that the searches are related to the "publishing business" in Moscow. The store itself later said that he needed “little help”, as he was left “without the necessary working equipment”, but now it continues to work as usual.
After that - in the evening of May 14 - it became known about the detention in Moscow about 10 people, including the director of the distribution of the Eksmo Publishing House. At first, the information on this case appeared in telegram channels, then the news began to give the TASS State Agency, and later other media joined. “VChK-OGPU” ** reported that searches and interrogations in Moscow were conducted from morning until the evening-and at the same time, throughout the day, not a single grain of information has leaked into the public space, which is strange for such a large business.
All the news emanating from the security forces went through anonymous sources for a long time, and the official statement of the Investigative Committee appeared only in the second half of Thursday May 15. The official statement of the Eksmo publishing house was also published on Thursday, in the area of noon. At the same time, in the late evening of Wednesdays, messages from the name of publishing houses were published in their telegram channels Individuum and Popcorn Books.
On Thursday afternoon it became known that the security forces charged the three defendants in the “publishing case”.
According to lawyer Maxim Olenichev, who is quoted by the “first department”, “initially a criminal case was opened against an“ unidentified person ”. On May 14, the first suspects appeared in the case, and then on May 15, three defendants were charged. ”
A little later, the Investigative Committee officially said that “the investigating authorities of the Main Investigative Committee of the IC of Russia in the city of Moscow is investigating a criminal case on the grounds of a crime under Part 1, 2, 3 of Art. 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of activities of an extremist organization). ” According to the report, "the defendants were detained, they are charged." According to the same message, other defendants are possible in the case: a set of measures is being held aimed at "establishing and detaining other members of an extremist organization."
From the names of those who are charged, there are so far three are known: this is the ex-director for sales Popcorn Books and Individuum Pavel Ivanov, the warehouse manager Artem Vakhlyaev and the executive director Dmitry Protopopov. The detained on Wednesday Director of the Exmo publishing house Anatoly Novyytkin was questioned as a witness and was released on Thursday, the Eksmo press service reported. It is also reported that “among the detainees held by leadership positions, there was the chief accountant of Inessa Nurtdinov,” which was also released without charges.
The publications among the detainees mentioned “The already dismissed employee of the accounting department (this was written by the Air Force), employees of Eksmo, who are engaged in management, shipment and accounting (ATS-Info **), employees of the publishing house of Individuum (message of the publishing house itself).
The Air Force, citing its sources, reported that the Zamoskvoretsky court of Moscow will consider the preventive measure. It is expected that Dmitry Protopopov, Pavel Ivanov and Artem Vakhlyaev will be there. “Protopopov is requested by pre -trial detention center, Ivanov and Vakhlyaev - house arrest. The court decision should be in the evening, ” - refers to the evening of May 15. At the same time, the official release of the Investigative Committee says that investigators intend to petition for all the accused about the election of a preventive measure in the form of detention.
As for the essence, Olenichev reports that
“The main accusation is“ propaganda LGBT*-ideologies. ” In addition, “actions aimed at promoting ideology” investigators considered “the organization of the activities of an extremist organization, the participation of it and/or involvement in such activities”.
The formal basis of the case was the distribution of Quyr Literature, including the Book “Summer in the Pioneer Tie” by Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova-this book published by Popcorn Books in 2021 became at first a bestseller, and then the reason for the initiation of the first in Russia about “Propaganda of LGBT” in January 2023. In Russia, it was withdrawn from sales, but it was not included in any list of extremist materials.
According to the official version of the investigation, in the period from November 2023 to September 2024, three defendants from among the employees of the individual Print LLC “from mercenary motives published and sold books that promote the activities of the LGBT movement recognized as an extremist organization in Russia”. According to Olenichev, the investigation believes that the defendants in the case were aware that the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the “international public movement of LGBT” extremist.
The accusation is still formulated as follows: the “unknown person” was in Moscow and knew that the “Society” unrealized by investigators had unrealized books on LGBT Tematics, which were planned to be implemented in order to make a profit. ” According to the TFR, the defendants in the case “sold an unlimited circle of people, including minors, more than 1000 copies of books”, and during searches on the places of residence and work of the accused, more than 1000 copies of “forbidden literature” were seized.
“Investigators believe in the involvement of an“ extremist organization ”that people, having read the LGBT literature, will become supporters of the“ international public movement of LGBT ”*. According to the investigation, at least eight women were “involved” in this way. The investigation also believes that for such a goal, the leadership of the “society” attracted subordinate workers (which he did not manage to establish by the time of initiation of a criminal case) for the implementation of books among the “unlimited circle of persons”. At the same time, as Olenichev writes, a criminal case is built around business processes: the investigation considers extremist activity the distribution of “LGBT literature” among an unlimited circle of people-that is, it was impossible to sell books, but, for example, it is possible to store houses.
On Thursday in the afternoon, the “First Department” published a list of books that appear in the “Publishers' Affairs”. This list has the following books:
"Summer in the pioneer tie" Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova;
Their book “What Swallow is silent”;
“Windows to the courtyard” and “Notebook to the cell” of Mikita Franco; “HeartStopper. With bated breath ”(two volumes) Alice Osman;
“Aristotle and Dante reveal the secrets of the universe” Benjamin Alira Saans;
“Darius great deserves more” Adib Horram;
"Svita of the king" Nora Sakavich;
“LIA: Life is not by notes” and “With love, screamwood” Bekki Albertali.
It is characteristic that after the detention of employees, the Eksmo Publishing House sent partners a list of books with a request to “dispose of them on the spot” or return the unrealized remains back to Eksmo. In the partner mailing from the CEO of the Eksmo publishing house, “all interested organizations” indicate 50 books that aroused the interest of the prosecutor's office. Among these books, again, “Summer in the Pioneer Tie” and “What Swallow” is silent ”by Katerina Silvanova and Elena Malisova,“ The same ”by Julia hee and others.
Here is the little that is still known about the first “affairs of publishers” in Russia. The versions regarding the real reasons for its excitement over the past day have managed to be born - one of them, for example, was that both Individuum and Popcorn, once again not allowed to the Non/Fiction fair, defiantly and freedom -lovingly held their own large program. The version is not the weakest, but not consistent with the investigation that surveillance of the activities of publishers has been carried out for about a year. During this time, the security forces collected correspondence and installed chains of the implementation of the so-called “LGBT literature”, which subsequently formed the basis of the criminal case.
The only thing that can be said with confidence so far-and lawyers are already talking about this-that this is the first case of LGBT-Excremism in relation to publishers and bookstores. The range of what may threaten the accused in parts of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is very wide - from a fine to imprisonment for up to 12 years.