On November 21, Moscow City Court has refused to grant a cassation appeal filed against arrest of anti-fascist Alen Volikov. As we reported earlier, Volikov was detained in Moscow on November 6 on suspicion of involvement in the December 2011 brawl at Moscow's Vozdukh club, as well as of beating up a nationalist.
Health condition of anti-fascist Alexei Olesinov, who is held at Moscow's Medvedkovo pre-trial detention centre as a suspect in the "Moscow antifa case" for allegedly participating in a brawl, has sharply deteriorated. Independent expert evaluation, conducted by the Pavlov State Medical University in St Petersburg, confirmed that Olesinov risks becoming permanently disabled.
On November 18th, comrades in Yekaterinburg carried out an action for theFood Not Bombs campaign that they dedicated to anarchists from Delta squat, in Thessaloniki, as a token of international solidarity.
Here follows a raw translation of brief excerpts from their communiqué:
Demonstration started from senate square 6 PM, and visited Finnish ministry of foreign affairs and Spanish embassy at Katajanokka. Demonstrators shouted "Freedom to Pit" and "Refugee status is not meaningless" in Finnish.
Demonstration was organised by Free Pit -network, Freedom of Movement -network, Into publishing house, Free Pussy Riot Helsinki and PAND - artists for peace.
On wednesday 21st of November a demonstration against extradiction court of author Petr Silaev from Spain to Russia will be organised in Helsinki. Demonstraton is organised by Free Pit -network, free movement -network, Into publishing house, Free Pussy Riot Helsinki, PAND artists for peace and a number of other groups.
Anti-fascist Alen Volikov, who is under arrest at Moscow's Butyrka pre-trial detention centre, was visited by police operatives on November 13, and subjected to psychological pressure aimed at making him admit his guilt. Volikov's lawyer Farid Murtazin reported that the operatives made threats of violence against his family members. The officers said that they would not leave Volikov's parents alone, and would set Federal Security Service (FSB) officers on them.
After two weeks ago the case against Nizhny Novgorod antifascists (the Antifa-RASH case) was sent back to prosecutor's office "to remove doubts, irregularities and obstacles" by a court, which is not likely to hear that case again, the case against Moscow-based antifascist Igor Kharchenko may set a precedent. The case, which is being heard by Moscow's Zamoskvoretsky district court, includes charges under Article 282, Part 2 of the Russian Criminal Code (participation in extremist community).
Main investigations directorate of the Investigations Committee of the Russian Federation has announced that Alexandra Dukhanina, 19, under house arrest until March 6, 2013, was been issued with definitive charges over her alleged participation in May 6 clashes during a rally in Moscow's Bolotnaya square. Dukhanina is suspected of using force against police officers who were guarding public order during the event, Investigations Committee said.
On the evening of November 8, Moscow's Tagansky court ordered that antifascist Alen Volikov be taken into custody. Volikov was detained on suspicion of involvement in the brawl at Moscow's Vozdukh club in December 2011, and of beating up a nationalist.
At about 10.30 p.m. on November 6, antifascist Alen Volikov, 23, and his girlfriend were walking out of a shop in Moscow when police operatives, who drove up in three cars, ran over to them. According to the woman, they presented criminal police IDs and explained the detention by the fact that Volikov is on a federal wanted list.
18th of October, lenta.ru news service transmitted that judge refused to sentence defendants of the so called "Antifa-RASH" case in Nizhni Novgorod. Judge Olga Koloverova demanded police to reinvestigate the case, in order to exclude contradictions, which are currently obvious.
The crackdown against anti-fascists in Russia has recently gained momentum. The country’s repressive law enforcement authorities view involvement in the anti-fascist movement as a crime in itself.
I was invited to speak, and I agreed immediately - LAB is the biggest (or perhaps secondmost biggest, after San Fransisco) anarchist bookfair in the world, could be also the biggest annual anarchist event in the world. One may only crudely estimate number of participators, as entrance is free. Free programs were handed out, with a suggested donation of one pound. 2600 pounds were collected, which is a rather good estimation of number of participators.
In August, Pyotr Silayev was arrested in Granada, Spain by anti-terrorist special forces. He was then moved to Madrid, where the Audiencia Nacional was to make a decision about his extradiction to Russia. All this based on charges stemming from a demonstration organized by anti-fascists and enviromentalists against the city administration of Khimki, Moscow region. He was released after 8 days, but he is still stuck in Spain, pending the decision of his extradiction to Russia.
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From 2nd to 4th of November, Black Petrograd festival will take place in St. Petersburg. This year a libertarian bookfair will take place first time during the festival. People joining the festival will have a chance to acquire books about theory and history of the anarchist movement, as well as other themes close to us, and also meet with authors and publishers of libertarian literature and periodicals. Besides these, there will be discussions on actual problems, theoretical debates, a tour on revolutionary places of St.
Participants of CrimethInc. collective tell about their project at Mannerheim Hall (Uusi ylioppilastalo, entrance A) 9th of October at 18 PM. Since the mid-1990s, CrimethInc. has been one of the most prolific and ambitious anarchist projects in North America. Participants have crisscrossed the continent for countless tours and actions; produced
We’re glad to announce that after 620 days in prison Pavel Syramolatau was released from prison by president pardon on September 27th. Pavel was arrested on January 17th 2011 due to attack on KGB building in Bobruisk, which was announced as solidarity action with anarchists arrested in Minsk in September 2010. In may 2011 after more than six months of investigation he was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Their action were classified by court as destruction of private property.
Under pressure of colony administration he signed petition for pardon this June.
In "March of the millions" in Moscow 15th, nationalists attempted to invade tribune, scanning their slogans. They were met with a hail of bottles, small stones and sticks. Former leader of "Movement Against Illegal Immigration" Aleksandr Potkin was got hit with a stick, his supporters lost flags and scarfs.
Silajev had been granted a political asylum in Finland early this year. The Finnish embassy in Madrid has said that Silajev can be kept arrested for 40 days! The Spanish police arrested Silajev in Granada because of request from Interpol on the 21st of august. Contrary to the expectations, he was not released in a trial in Madrid on the 22nd of august, even though the Finnish embassy had provided all the papers concerning his asylum and right to stay in the country. The court wouldnt comment the case. The Spanish police said that he only had a Russian passport when he was arrested.
27th of July, Basmanniy district court of Moscow remanded Alexey Polikhovich for one month. He is 16th suspect for participating to rioting in Bolotnaya square 6th of May 2012, in day of inauguration of Vladimir Putin. He was third arrested anarchist - Aleksandra Dukhanina has been in a house arrest since 29th of May, Stepan Zimin has been in remand prison since 9th of July. Alexey Polikhovich was arrested in the evening of 25th of July, his house was searched and his computer was confiscated.
(This is a partial English translation of a program, aired in Dozhd TV channel 17th of August, which is embedded below.)
Center of Counteraction Against Extremism ("E-Center") in the city of Vladimir did not liked amateur movie "Russian anti-racist skinheads", and they opened a criminal case against makers of the film. According to them, film incited hatred against "social group of skinheads and nationalists".
Mikalai Dziadok (4,5 years) is finishing his 3rd month in a solitary cell after having refused to work on Saturdays. Work is obligatory in Belarusian penal colonies, but is regulated by the Labour Code, which prescribes that a person shouldn’t work more than 40 hours a week. Mikalai was forced to work more on Saturdays, but refused to do so. He was punished with 6 months of solitary confinement on June 1st. During this period he is deprived of all dates, phone calls and food supply from the outside.
The 11th general meeting of Autonomous Action will take place from 20th to 25th of August 2012 European part of Russia. Autonomous Action is the largest libertarian communist organization of the xUSSR. Our website is avtonom.org. We invite representatives of libertarian and anarchist organizations and individuals as guests. We will discuss internal organization issues and action, conduct theoretical workshops and self-defense trainings.
4th of July, at Presnenski district court of Moscow, judge Dmitry Dolgopolov fulfilled request of the police to imprison two of the six anti-fascists, who were remanded in night of second of July, not far from club "Barrikada". 23 year old Irina Lipskaya and 19 year old Andrey Molchanov, suspected of having committed crimes according to statute of Russian criminal codex 213 part 2 (hooliganism, committed with a group of people). They will be held in remand prison at least until 2nd of September.
On Thursday, the 14th of June anarchist and member of the Moscow - Autonomous Action, Antti Rautiainen, was denied his Russian visa request. The refusal was not exaplained.
Rautiainen had a Russian temporary residence permit, but it was annulled at the end of March. According to authorities, he had made "calls to violently overthrow constitutional order or Russian Federation." He was given 15 days to leave the Russian Federation.
June 11th is the International Day of Solidarity with Marius Mason & All Long-Term Anarchist Prisoners. This action day has a long history, it was organized first time 20 years ago in 2004. In the first year, we managed to paint a graffiti to wall of one of the most guarded objects of Moscow,...
Anarchist group ANA Regensburg hosted my online-presentation on 16th of May 2024, in which I discussed tactics of anti-war activism in Russia, and reasons why the anti-war movement has not been able to make an impact to change the course of events yet. Cases of anarchists repressed for anti-war...