St. Petersburg- On The Situation of Mihail Lunkovskij- Persecuted by Russian State

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report

Thursday July 20, 2006 13:00

by G8 translator

Solidarity Group in Moscow Look For support For Mihail Lunkovskij

Individual tale of police and state persecution and intimidation, faked evidence, poor legal rights which highlights the difficulties people are faced with in Russia before and now after the G8 summit in St.Petersburg.

On July 10th, in the yard of his house, Mihail Lunkovskij was sentenced to 15 days incarceration on the basis of exiguous allegations of „minor hooliganism’(foul-mouthed verbal abuse in a public area) which he is now serving in the special detention centre Zaharjevskaja ulitsa 6.

After Mihails arrest staff of the “Legal Protection Agency” conducted an unapproved house search during which papers and also objects were confiscated that were irrelevant to the items of investigation (a modem,an exercise machine).

On the 18th of July at midday Mihail was called from his cell for a “talk” where someone (obviously a member of the “state guards”) made known to him that he was been threatened with criminal proceedings for “organisation of an extreme group” (presumably because he was the main leaseholder of an apartment in which even before the beginning of the G8 summit nine activists were arrested and sentenced to 10-15 days imprisonment because of faked accusations -foul-mouthed verbal abuse in a public area for russian people and urinating in a public area for foreigners).

Mihail has serious health problems, therefore we are very worried about his health and for his life should his prison term be extended.

We will observe the situation attentively and initiate an international solidarity campaign should the threats and intimidation attempts come true.

Furthermore we will exert pressure on the state by all the means we have at our disposal.

Stay tuned!

Comments (1 of 1)

Memories From St.Petersburg (SPB) Arrest

by G8presseinfo

Thu Jul 20, 2006 13:12

Memories From St.Petersburg (SPB) Arrest

Anarchist activist from Warsaw detained during the street blockade on
Nevskiy Prospect on 16.07.2006 at 9am.

Memories from spb arrest

Just some of the memories from the 48 hours of the russian state
hijcking action on my person on 16-18.07.2006:
- kicks and trounches strikes hit my legs during moment of arrest on the
Nevskiy Protest;

- on the police station I was told to make *objasnene* (explanation) +
without any translator. One of two police officers (without uniform) was
trying all the time to force me to speak and understand russian +
because I am polish. I told him that I learned russian 15 years ago last
time and now I now only some basic words - much to less to make
explanations on the police station or to understand officers screaming
on me + *I will make you to understand russian!!!* was he shouting and
grab me with both hands on my chast and pull my head close to his one.
As I was watching two weaks ago the football championship game
Portugal-Holland I now how it can end (see action of Figo, porugal
national player); as the second officer enter the room the first one
stoped his action. He told me to sit down on the chair + and when I was
about to do it he kick it away + chair fall down + me not. So he told me
to put the chair in the right position. I refused. He started to swear
on me (russian
and polish swears are quite similar so he I could understand in fact!).
Some seconds after I was about to make my explanation. I said, I will
not do it before the polish translator will not appear. Situation took
place about 3pm on 16.07;

- I ve got translator finally after 32h from the moment of arrest. In
meanwhile I was asked and told many things +

- Each time we were transported from police station to another, or to
the court, the OMON militia made rasist and sexist jokes (belarussian
activist translated them to me and told that the best will be if we not
react at all)

- On 16.07. about 2pm one of the the police-translator said to us "War
not peace! Third world war! Yeah!" Whatever he ment with that I
understood that the people under which control I found myself are
mentally disturbed +;

- directly after the court we have been transported by OMON bus back to
the police station. During the trip I just wanted to take a look on the
street. One of the OMON militians started scream on me in russian and
attemped to hit me with his trounch. He failed to hit me but he hit
heavily the british activist sitting next to me;

- we didnt get even half glass of water from the police during 48h of
detaintion; only thank to support from outside we were possible to keep
in quite stabil physical and psychical state; still I got intensive
headache till the first bottle of the water was brought by british
consul - this bottle we shared through activists from all counties;

- worth to mention maybe permament refusal of the access to toilett;
especially last 12 hours, from 9pm of 17.07 till 9am of 18.07 (when we
ve got release) NOBODY from 6 persons was alowed to go on toilett; When
I start to demand loudly this right, two officers enter our cell and
took my only blancket away using their hands and legs + this blancket
was brought just 2 hours before by "medical support for prisoners
activist woman" so both nights I have to sleep on the newspaper I found
in one of the police stations;

- I was refuse to make one call phone, so the polish consul in
St/Petersburg was informed at first by polish mainstrem-media about my
detaintion case; when he called first time to the police station where I
was kept already since about 10 hours he was told that nobody with my
name is there! He confirmed it in different way than, and appear at
first late in the night on 16.07;

- on the police station on which we were brought in the night from 16.07
to 17.07 one police officer was permamently pointing his machine gun on
me: in front of me when he was talking to me and from behind when he was
following me to the toilett;

- finally, I was judged without presence of ANY lawyer as after my
question if the is any lawyer to suppurt my case, the judge said "We
have to check it", he made a call phone from his mobile phone and after
20 seconds answered "No, there is no one available right now"; Well, I
agree to go on without a lawyer as after all what I experienced in past
35 hours I wanted to have it behind me as soon as possible +;

- there was amount of other minor harrasments more;

I want to state that finally I achieve to leave the detaintion period
without any serious physical or psychical injuries but I am pretty sure
that any younger person (I am 32 years old) could suffer a lot during
and after such experience;

Anarchist activist from Warsaw detained during the street blockade on
Nevskiy Prospect on 16.07.2006 at 9am.

http://int.ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/144/index.php
&
http://ru.indymedia.org/newswire/display/15255/index.php