A well-known antifascist and anarchist Dmitry Buchenkov, PhD in political science, was arrested in Moscow in December 2015. He is suspected of participating in the riots of May 6, 2012. More than 400 persons were arrested as a result of a mass protest action against Putin’s politics that took place on May 6, 2012 in Moscow. Dmitry was not in Moscow on that day, he was in Nizhny Novgorod, more than 300 km away from Moscow.
Dmitry is a long-time participant of the antifascist and anarchist movements and he has done a lot for their development. Dmitry’s comrades and friends believe that the arrest is related to his political militancy and his active position regarding the developments taking place in the country.
We call on everyone to show solidarity, support Dmitry and his family, distribute information about Dmitry’s case, and if you have an opportunity, please help by donating any funds available for support. Please do not be indifferent, Dmitry and his family need support. If possible please hold solidarity actions, benefit gigs and other events.
The case chronology
Dmitry Buchenkov, 36, lecturer of history and political science, PhD in political science, associate professor, worked as Deputy Chairman of the Medicine History and Socio-Humanitarian Science Department in the Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I.Pirogov in Moscow. Prior to 2008 he worked as an associate professor of the Philosophy Department in the Volga State Pedagogy University (Nizhny Novgorod). Dmitry moved to Moscow after he had had to quit the Volga University.
In Moscow Dmitry joined the local cell of the Autonomous Action, whose member he had already been since 2002. This is how he describes the ideology he shares in a book entitled “Anarchists in the late XX century in Russia” published in 2009: «Basic worldview values of anarchism (self-management, self-organisation, anticapitalism) are still relevant today».
He authored several books on history and modern condition of anarchism in Russia. He is an activist of the antifascist and anarchist movements.
Dmitry actively participated in organising efforts and life of the antifascist and anarchist movements in Moscow. He organised many street antifascist protest actions, different cultural events. He took part in the establishment of an antifascist centre called «V project», where antifascists and anarchists held their gigs, meetings, and prepared their actions. Police and FSB more than once threatened to attack Dmitry physically for his political activities and struggles. In 2015 unknown persons, probably police or FSB agents, severely beat Dmitry up, so that he got brain concussion, was all covered in blood and couldn’t even remember how the assault occurred.
Dmitry Buchenkov planned to organise an all-Russian antifascist and anarchist forum “Self-management and Libertarian Communism” in early 2016. But the authoritarian Putinist regime police arrested him.
On December 2, 2015, early in the morning, police searched both apartments where Dmitry could have been finding himself: an apartment where he lived in Moscow with his girlfriend Anya and her child, and his parents’ place in Nizhny Novgorod.
The parents weren’t told anything about his arrest and the apartment search. No personal belongings or documents were found in his parents’ place. They learnt about his arrest only afterwards from mass media. Buchenkov’s girlfriend said he was not allowed to make a phone call or told the official investigator’s name.
After the search he was immediately taken to the Central Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia. The following accusation was presented to the detainee at 08:00 PM: participation in civil disorder (art. 212 of the Criminal Code of Russia) and acts of violence against representatives of state authorities (art. 318 of the Criminal Code of Russia) during clashes at Bolotnaya Square on May 6, 2012.
On December 3 Buchenkov was brought to court, where he was remanded on bail as a result of the hearings. Lawyer Oleg Telpyakov was present at both the investigative actions and the court hearings that resulted in the arrest of the new «Bolotnaya case» prisoner. This lawyer is a former employee of the Krasnoyarsk prosecutor’s office and he obtained his lawyer’s status as recently as in May 2015. Currently Dmitry Buchenkov’s relatives seek disciplinary punishment for this lawyer, who was assigned to represent his interests on the first day of the arrest, but never tried to defend him in reality, on the contrary he had done a lot for his arrest to take place. On December 3 Buchenkov was detained in a Temporary Detention Centre of the Ministry of the Interior (hereinafter TDC).
On December 14 Buchenkov was transferred from the TDC to the “Vodnik-5” remand prison without anybody notified, including his lawyer Svetlana Sidorkina, despite Buchenkov’s written request to notify his lawyer. Sidorkina rang the TDC, but she was not advised where her client was, she learned about his whereabouts only after he had been visited in his remand prison by the Public Monitoring Commission members.
From December 7 to 14 Dmitry’s friends, antifascists, anarchists and social activists held a week of unified actions in support of imprisoned anarchists and antifascists. Actions and events took place in 10 different cities of Russia, Belarus and Sweden. Militants organised solidarity pickets in Moscow, St.Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod gathering several hundred persons in total. Graffiti actions were performed in Minsk and Brest, Belarus, and in Lund, Sweden.
Dmitry was very active in Moscow’s left wing, some militants believe his arrest is related to his experience and good organising skills. In a situation of social stability crisis, on the eve of a new wave of strong protests around the country, the state authorities are trying to launch repressions against the left wing, demoralise social activists and antifascists.
In the end of January 2016 the term of Dmitry Buschenkov’s detention was extended to June 2016.
Dmitry Buchenkov solidarity groups
If you have any questions on how to make a money transfer or other wishes, please write to the Dmitry solidarity group — avtonom46@gmail.com
Paypal-account of the antifascist Buchenkov solidarity group: avtonom46@gmail.com
Yandex Money e-wallet: 410013793240192
Bank account details:
Bank account holder: Oleg Serebrennikov
Address of the account holder: 21 - Apt.124, 10 Let Oktyabrya Str., Izhevsk, 426011, Russia.
Account number: 40817978608040002069 (Euro)
Bank name and address: Alfa-Bank, 27 Kalanchevskaya Str, Moscow, 107078, Russian Federation
SWIFT: ALFARUMM
Correspondent Bank of Benificiary's Bank:
COMMERZBANK AG, Franfurt am Main
SWIFT: COBADEFF
Acc. With corresp / Bank № 400886894501EUR
Write please "donation for Buchenkov Dmitry" or "donation for Dmitry")
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