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.
On 24 January 2018, I was tortured by the FSB into confessing to terrorism charges. Here is what happened.
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.
A Statement by the Journalists’ and Media Workers’ Union
In the early hours of January 31st, Russian security services stormed the apartment of @Pavel Nikulin, a co-chair of the Journalists' and Media Workers' Union. We can assume that Pavel’s apartment was searched in connection with an article he wrote for the New Times magazine in March 2017. The article, titled “From Kaluga With Jihad," was removed from the magazine's website after a court found it was "publicly justifying terrorism."
“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. He was found two days later: the press service of the Petersburg court system related Filinkov had been remanded to police custody after confessing his involvement in a terrorist network whose members “profess[ed] the anarchist ideology.” Members of the Public Monitoring Commission were able to visit him in the pretrial detention center a day later.
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.
The FSB Breaks Left
A second anarchist from the mythical organization Network (Set) has been remanded to police custody at the request of counterintelligence. Viktor Filinkov and Igor Shiskin are suspected of planning an armed insurrection to seize power
Alexander Yermakov
Fontanka.ru
January 27, 2018
On January 23 antifascists Viktor Filinkov was kidnapped at the airport in St. Petersburg and was found two days later in a special detention facility of FSB (Russian Federal Security Service). He claimed to have been tortured by masked police and forced to give evidence in a terrorist case against himself.
On January 25 another activist, Igor Shishkin, was detained while walking a dog. His house was searched, as his wife said to OVD-Info.
Various initiatives and activists from post-soviet countries and the rest of Europe will be part of this event sharing stories and reports on the situation in their regions. There are plenty of reasons for exchanging perspectives: an increase in repression and a new round of political confrontations are accelerating certain historical processes, not giving us a chance to catch our breath.
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
Alexei Gaskarov: Many People Ask Whether I Am Going to Take up Politics. But What Politics Are There Nowadays?
Olesya Gerasimenko
Snob
November 1, 2016
The topic of prison caste system is often raised in the media in recent times, it is often discussed in connection with the political prisoners. However, almost all who write on the subject, know about it at best from the stories of former inmates or use common social stereotypes. As a result, there are often a lot of blunders and false representation.
The aim of this article is to illuminate some aspects of this complex and multifaceted phenomenon the informal hierarchy in Belarus prisons.
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 September 2024, I gave a presentation in Dresden about struggles against the right-wing government in Finland. Freedom published a text based on that presentation last September, but due to character limitations I had to skip an introduction to the Finnish party system. This background is...
Repression targets Chita anarchists already jailed for war resistance and anti-regime graffiti The regional prosecutor’s office for the Trans-Baikal region in eastern Siberia has submitted a petition to a local court to recognize the “Trans-Baikal Left Association” as a terrorist...
Thousands of Russians have been fighting against the invasion to Ukraine. During first month of protests against the war, 15 000 people were detained. Small street actions are still sporadically taking place, although they are heavily persecuted. More than 300 people have been imprisoned for anti-...
Translation: volunteers of Autonomous Action. «» The history of solidarity networks in Russia began in 2013, when activists from Autonomous Action and Antijob, most likely members of the Barnaul cell, found information on the internet about the Seattle Solidarity Networks. After studying...