Russian Activist Ilya Kapustin, Seeking Asylum in Finland: “When the Stamp Thudded in My Passport, It Was Like a Huge Weight Had Been Lifted from My Shoulders”
Nina Järvenkylä Iltalehti
March 10, 2018
A familiar looking man sits opposite me. We have met earlier via video link, but now there are coffee cups between us.
During the last months, Russian secret services have arrested several anarchists and antifascists. They were accused of conspiring to organize a “terrorist organization”. The arrested were tortured with electric cables and shockers for many hours, brutally beaten without consideration if serious wounds are caused and whether visible traces of beating are left. The officers humiliated our arrested comrades.
A call of comrades from Chelyabinsk:
«We, Chelyabinsk anarchists, need international support and solidarity.
On the night of 20 February, Chelyabinsk anarchists were arrested and their homes searched in relation to the banner put on the Chelyabinsk FSB (Russian security service) building. Five persons were arrested, the homes of three of them were searched, three people became suspects under Article 213 part 1 of the Russian criminal code (Hooliganism). During the investigation, FSB officers freely tortured the detained, including the witnesses.
March 18 – act in solidarity with Russian anarchists!
Moscow Anarchist Black Cross released the review of repression of anarchists by Russian state in 2017 and early 2018. During this period, the authorities continue to frame and persecute the Russian comrades. Anarchists are also a subject of repressions in prisons. Here is the extract of recently published list of repression in Russia.
In late January, news that Viktor Filinkov, a left-wing activist and computer programmer, had disappeared (24 January) at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport was followed by arrests and searches (26 January) at the apartments of anti-fascist activists in the city.
Yelena Gorban and Alexei Kobaidze, suspects in the vandalism case (Russian Criminal Code Article 214) opened after a protest outside a United Russia party office on January 31, have been sent to Temporary Detention Facility No. 1 (Petrovka) in Moscow, as reported to OVD Info by their defense lawyers, Svetlana Sidorkina and Maxim Pashkov.
“He Would Check My Pulse by Touching My Neck and Monitor My Condition.” Arrested Penza Antifascists Talk about Electric Shock Torture in Remand Prison Basement.
“They Said They Could Break My Legs and Dump Me in the Woods.” Petersburger Ilya Kapustin Recounts How FSB Officers Tortured Him
Yegor Skovoroda
Mediazona
January 27, 2018
Traces of handcuffs on Ilya Kapustin’s hands. Photo courtesy of his attorney and Mediazona
Petersburg Anarchist Viktor Filinkov, Arrested in Terrorism Case, Says He Was Tortured
Mediazona
January 26, 2018
Antifascist Viktor Filinkov, arrested for alleged involvement in a terrorist network, has told members of the Public Monitoring Commission (PMC) he was tortured, according to the PMC’s report, which Mediazona has in its possession.
On January 23, antifascist Viktor Filinkov disappeared in Petersburg.
We are currently fundraising to pay the lawyers working on several cases related to the police raids and arrests of anarchists and antifascists in St. Petersburg and Penza, Russia.
As of now, two people in St. Petersburg and five in Penza are under arrest, while many others have been connected to their cases as witnesses. The raids and repressions are likely to continue.
October 11, the city court of Baranovichi, Belarus, sentenced Russian anarchist Pyotr Ryabov. Petr, an anarchist philosopher and a lecturer of the department of Philosophy in the Moscow State Pedagogical University was sentenced to 6 days of prison for "minor hooliganism" and "distribution of extremist materials" (statutes 17.1 and 17.11 of the Codex of misdemeanors of Belarus). The court has declared the Belarusian anarchist journal "Svoboda ili Smert issue 6" (published in 2007) an extremist material.
March 25 was planned by some liberal opposition leaders as the day of the biggest protest against Lukashenko’s policies this year. The biggest one on the wave of the recent anti-governmental demonstrations that started in February this year. It ended with the biggest police mobilization in years bringing thousands of riot cops to Minsk and detaining hundreds of people preventive and during the demonstration. This Saturday capital of Belarus looked like a war zone created by the police.
Today in three major cities of Belarus – Minsk, Mogilev and Grodno – people took the streets protesting against government attempts to collect tax off the unemployed (details of the story HERE). In Minsk, demonstrations managed to gather more that 1 500 people, in Mogilev and Grodno 1 000 each. These are the biggest protests those cities have seen in decades.
The Russian authorities continue to prosecute and jail our comrades. In the summer and fall of 2016, demonstrations of solidarity with the convicts were held all across the globe. The anarchists are furthermore suffering repressions in jails, but keep the spirit up. If you think that we have missed something important in our article or are aware of other repressions, feel free tocontact us at abc-msk@riseup.net
Free at last
After Tel Aviv, Helsinki joined the solidarity campaign. A picket in the center of the city was organised. 1st of July, in the opposite side of the railway station, around 10 anarchists stood with a banner "Freedom to Crimean prisoners" (Vapaus Krimin vangeille) with pictures of Oleg Sentsov and Alexandr Kolchenko, and "Freedom for all political prisoners" (in English). Few hundred leaflets were spread.
July 2nd, in Simferopol near the FSB and Crimean prosecutor’s offices activists held pickets as a part of International Days of Solidarity with political anarchist and anti-fascist prisoners. Authorities had not confirmed pickets, and police had been at the venue.
Despite these facts, activists uncovered placards near the FSB office. After 20 minutes of quarrels with the police, activists decided to change their position and met Crimean prosecutor’s office with a single picket.
In the Spanish capital Madrid, anarchists and anti-fascists joined the campaign of solidarity with political prisoners in Russia
Friday July 1st hung a large banner at the front of squatted social center and self-managed "The Casika" (Mostoles, Madrid), the goal to make visible the situation of anarchists and anti-fascists imprisoned comrades in Russia !!! also we inform interested with a dossier on paper!
Against state repression, international solidarity !!! Down the prison walls!
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