Moscow Anarchist Black Cross Repressions Review, April-June 2014

We continue our regular summaries on repressions of anarchists, antifascists, and social activists in Russia, on obstacles which police state creates for our activity.

In April-May issue: arrests of "terrorists" in Crimea, new detentions regarding "Bolotnoya Case", letters from political prisoners, police attack of a gig, and other. If you think, we have missed something in our article, or you know about
other incidents of repression, please write to abc-msk@riseup.net.

Here you can read instructions on how to transfer funds to ABC-Moscow.

Arrest of Aleksandr Kolchenko in Crimea

Alexander "Tundra" Kolchenko, our anarchist and anti-fascist comrade, was arrested by Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB) in Simferopol in the middle of May. During that time a local famous film director Oleg Sentsov, social activist Gennady Afanasyev and Alexey Chirny were also arrested.

All the arrested are charged with terrorism. FSB claims that all the arrested were participants of "Right Sector" group, allegedly, this group was planning "sabotage and terrorist attacks in Simferopol, Yalta and Sevastopol" and "destruction of essential utilities, rail bridges and power lines".

Apart from ambiguous plans of "terrorist attacks", they were charged with an arson attack against the "United Russia" party and "Russian community" movement offices in Simferopol in April, as well as in bombing Lenin's monument.

Claims that Alexander Kolchenko may be related to "Right Sector" are a blatant lie. Kolchenko is a consistent antifascist and anarchist, he was one of organizers of displaying movies about Anastasia Baburova and Ivan
Khutorskiy in Crimea, he has been attacked by local Nazis several times. Immediately after his arrest, Kolchenko wrote in a letter to his friends, that he was claimed to be a member of the "Right Sector", but he emphasized that he had no relations with this organization. Statement of Autonomous Action (in Russian) about absurd convictions is available here, analysis of particular mismatches in the case is available here (in Russian).

Alexander Kolchenko is now in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention center.

ABC-Moscow is collecting money for Kolchenko. Here are details on how to transfer funds.

You can write to Kolchenko in remand to the address:

Kolchenko Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, Lefortovskiy val, 5, p/b 201, 111020 Moscow, Russia

New arrests in connection with the "Bolotnoaya Case"

Suddenly, new arrests began in relation with "Bolotnoe Case". Activist Polina Strongina has been arrested in Saint Petersburg, and Dmitry Ishevsky and Oleg Melnikov in Moscow. Strongina was accused only of "rioting", and Ishevsky was also accused of violence against a cop. Strongina has been released from custody, but she must be amnestied.
Ishevsky has been sent to pre-trial detention center. Oleg Melnikov has not been charged yet

Trial of Alexey Gaskarov and the second wave of "Bolotnaya case"

Zamoskvoretsky court started hearings on the second wave of "Bolotnaya case" prisoners in April. Four people are accused, our comrade Alexey Gaskarov is among them. In his detailed testimony, Alexey has told what in fact happened at the Bolotnaya square on May 6th, how he was forced to pull one soldier out of the cordon to open up the way for people who were caught in the crowd. Alexey pulled a riot police officer away from a demonstrator, who was laying down on the asphalt. According to Alexey, police was beating demonstrator with a baton. Investigators call all that "violence against the authority". Testimony was also given by pro-Kremlin "Nashi" (Ours) movement activist Dmitry Panko, with an intention to frame up Alexey. Dmitry is known to Alexey from previous opposition meetings, where Nashi-activist attempted to provoke fights.

Court hearing schedule on the second wave of Bolotnaya case prisoners is available here.

Recently, judge signed a permission for Alexey and his girlfriend Anna Karpova to get married. Marriage will take place in a pre-trial detention centre approximately in 1.5 months.

Support web-site: http://gaskarov.info

You can transfer funds for paying up lawyers (for Alexey and other political prisoners) to the following Yandex.Money wallet: 410011867897149

You can write to Alexey via "Rosuznik" website.

Or to address Alexey Vladimirovich Gaskarov FKU SIZO-2 UFSIN Rossii po g. Moskve ul. Novoslobodskaya d. 45 127055 Moskva Russia.

Criminal Prosecution

A number of our comrades are still on trial because of frivolous charges. Some of them are in a pre-trial detention.

Alexey Sutuga

A well known anarchist and antifascist Alexey "Socrates" Sutuga is in the Moscow pre-trial detention center "Butyrka". It was only January, when he along with his friends was amnestied regarding to a Vozdukh club case, fabricated by “E-Center" officers, but in April officers of “E-Center” carried out a new operation to arrest Sutuga. Now he is charged with a fight in a café in Moscow, which happened on 2nd of January 2014. As Alexey said, he was setting apart groups of far-right and other young people, who were fighting. There are reasons to suspect this case as a new provocation by “E-Center".

Alexey has been charged with “hooliganism committed with a group of people”. You may find news on this topic by the tag. You download and print stickers in support of Alexey here.

Recently Sutuga sent a letter from a pre-trial detentions, where he described his thoughts on events in Ukraine (in Russian).

Payment details to pay up lawyer:

For Russian residents: Sberbank card 4276 3800 4603 9843 Sutuga Olga Nikolaevna

For Ukrainian residents: Privatbank card 4627 0858 2725 5957 Nevmerzhitskaya Olga Sergeevna

ABC Moscow bank accounts: Yandex Money, Alfa-Bank, Paypal (please mark in a letter to abc-msk@riseup.net that funds are intended for Sutuga).

Address for letters: Alexey Vladimirovich Sutuga, 1986 g.r., FKU SIZO-2 UFSIN Rossii po g. Moskve, ul. Novoslobodskaya d. 45 127055 Moscow Russia.

Dmitry Rezanovich

In the end of April, Russian law enforcement filed a suit against Dmitry Rezanovitch, an anarchist from Gomel (Belarus). He was accused of crossing border with Russia without valid papers that permit entry. According to the Penalty Code, he could be fined for up to 200,000 Rubles or sentenced up to 2 years.

Dmitry Rezanovitch was detained at night from March 15th to March 16th, when he was traveling by train from Ukraine into Russia without a valid passport. While crossing the border in Belgorod area, he used his brother's passport and was detained afterwards by police in Kursk. 24-years old anarchist was held in a detention center for foreigners subjected to deportation, in Avdeevo village of Kursk area. Previously, Dmitry has been suspected in a terrorism plan in Russia, however, FSB failed to provide any evidence required to initiate a criminal case on that article.

Eventually, Rezanovich was fined 15 000 Russian rubles (approximately 300 euros) and deported from Russia.

Ilya Romanov

Ilya has been actively participating in anarchist movement since 1980's. October 26th 2013 he suffered from a blast of a firecracker. As a result, his left hand was severely damaged, and his face has been burned. His hand was amputated in a hospital.

In December 2013, Romanov was accused, besides initial 222 Russian Penal Code article (storing of explosives), according to 205 penal code article (terrorism attempt). There is no reason to accuse Romanov of terrorism, as there is no corpus delicti. Recently, without any reason, Ilya was included into the list of terrorists and extremists of Russian Financial Monitoring Agency, his number is 1935. Being in this list makes difficult to manage ones bank accounts and receive bank transfers.

Recently, Ilya was moved to Kazan for psychological expertise.

More details on Ilia Romanov and his case.

To transfer funds for Ilya's lawyer tou can use his wife's (Larisa Romanova) Yandex-Wallet: 410012031648898

Elizaveta Lisitsina

March 15th, FSB officers interrogated Ivanovo resident Elizaveta Lisitsina. Previously, she reposted a message from Anarcho-News group into her social media account. A case has been initiated due to "Public calls to extremist activity".

A modem, a tablet, an mp3-player and laptops have been withdrawn from Lisitsina, her partner an her neighbor, a technical expertise is going on. All three are currently witnesses of the case, and no-one has been charged. Before the interrogation, a linguistic analysis had been performed—attributes of extremism were found. She is an active participant of local movement, she helped in organizing film shows and rallies related to "Bolotnaya case".

Vkontakte group in solidarity.

You can transfer funds for paying lawyer: Yandex Money Wallet #410011189766242

Arrests of activists

Russian anti-authoritarian activist Vladimir Novikov was detained on April 26th during an opposition march "Chernobylsky Shlyakh" in Minsk, Belarus. He has been charged with disorderly conduct and disobedience to police and was jailed for 15 days. In the middle of May activist was deported from Belarus and banned from entering this country for 10 years. More details on arrests of "Chernobylsky Shlyakh" participants (in Russian).

In Nizhni Novgorod police officers from "E-Center” attacked an anti-fascists gig timed to coincide with May 9th (The Victory Day). Approximately, in the midnight, during the "Operaciya Almaznoi Reki" band show, law enforcement officers with dogs raided "Stanok" club and started to pull people over, down on the floor. About 30 people were
rudely detained using electric shockers, others managed to escape. Currently, gig organizers are trying to legally challenge operation, with help of the human rights lawyers from "Agora" organization.

In Irkutsk, court hearings over two participants of Autonomous Action continue. They were detained on March 18th at a pro-government rally, organized to show the "popular support" of Crimea annexation. They were distributing
leaflets with header "Peace to the nations, war to the authorities" there. Their detention had been made with lots of violations, no reports had been filed. They were freed after 2 hours. A month later, new reports were filed, they were charged with "unauthorized picket and unauthorized rally during authorized pro-government rally". A report
from court May 27th hearing is available here (in Russian).

You may track events in Irkutsk via ABC-Irkutsk website.

News from prisons

Convicted during the first wave of "Bolotnaya Case", including our comrades Alexey Polikhovitch, Stepan Zimin and Alexandra Dukhanina are still waiting for a decision of their appeal on Zamoskvoretsky court sentence (see details here, in Russian). Moscow City Court is going to review their plea soon. Dukhanina, who is under suspended imprisonment, might be freed from home arrest, and Polikhovitch with Zimin might ask for a parole and, if authorities would not create obstacles for them, could be released soon.

State-endorsed antifascism, which is fashionable now, and imperialistic haze seem ugly to me. I can not remember rallies of many thousands after the Markelov and Baburova murder, after killings of antifascists and migrants in Moscow. Who at all was worried about this, before BORN (Fighting Organization of Russian Nationalists) attacked someone from the system? Far right exists not only in the Ukraine, this issue is oppressing for the whole Eastern Europe. Black-yellow-white Russian Empire flags are soaring at nationalist marches and stadiums. Everyone knows,
what sort of people are marching with Russian Empire flags. The same flags were used at "For Crimea" rally in Moscow together with banner "No Pasaran!" and flag of Donetsk People Republic in Kramatorsk", — reasons
Alexey Polikhovich in one of his recent letters from prison.

You can write to Zimin and Polikhovich via Rosuznik project.

Or directly:

Alexey Alexeevich Polikhovich, 1990 g.r. FKU SIZO-2 UFSIN Rossii po g. Moskve ul. Novoslobodskaya d. 45 127055 Moskva Russiaa

Stepan Yurevich Zimin 1992 g.r., FKU SIZO-5 (Vodnik) UFSIN Rossii po g. Moskve, Vyborskaya 20, 125130 Moskva Russia

In Murmansk Anarchist Alexey Raskhodchikov, sentenced to a year in a penal colony after being brutally beaten by police, appealed for a parole. Court rejected his appeal.

In one of his recent letters, Alexey is reasoning about justice behind the bars.

"I see this system from inside. During only 2 months of my imprisonment, I saw more cases of crying injustice, then throughout my whole life (however, I may exaggerate). Here are only a few examples. One man was imprisoned due to a false homicide charge in a car accident, homicide, he did not commit. Other was charged with organizing a drug-dealing gang after illicit drugs were placed into a car, which even did not belong to him, to extort his apartment from him. A young lad got 10 years in a maximum security prison for 2.5 grams of amphetamine found in his car. He just refused to cooperate with the investigation and to give evidence against his friend, who owned the powder. And it is only the tip of the iceberg!", — writes Raskhodchikov.

Alexey's support group: http://raskhodchikov.info

Yandex wallet for collecting money on lawyer services and other help —
410011959939084

Address for letters: Rashodchikov Alexey Valerevich, IK-20 ulica Magistralnaya 95, poselok Zelenoborskiy, Kandalakshkiy Raion, 184042 Murmanskaya oblast Russia.

You can get the whole list of imprisoned anarchists and antifascists at
ABC Website.

On April 27th, at "Fabrika" art-space in Moscow, an ABC-party under the slogan "Craving for the freedom is stronger than all prisons!" was held. You can see video report here.

Prepared by ABC-Moscow collective

P.S. You can read in more details on victimization in Belarus on ABC-Belarus website. It is blocked by some ISP's, use Tor or proxy's.