While there is debate about whether one can assume the street share the art of "War" art, it became known that one of those notorious St. Petersburg stocks advanced on the state prize for visual arts and even joined the short list of nominees ( http:// free-voina.org/post/3289581310 ).
Meanwhile, its authors - artists, activists, Oleg Vorotnikov and Leonid Nikolayev - more than three months are in the St. Petersburg prison on charges of disorderly conduct motivated by social discord and animosity towards the police, in connection with another action - "palace coup" in which the inverted police cars were used as elements of artistic installations.
Investigation of the case from the outset is a gross violation of the rights of the accused, the courts of measures of restraint are political character.
On February 21 and 22 assigned to the regular courts to extend the previously selected preventive measures - detention.Previous courts, where, as a measure elected, extended or keep in force a prison awaiting trial, have become a shining example of bias and political assignments decisions.The judiciary is fully dependent on the political order - the court is yet another link in the chain of persecution of "enemies of the state." In court on 14 January the prosecutor, demanding to extend the detention of the accused named Nikolayev "dangerous for society and state" - such estimates sound absurd for a man persecuted for socio-political statements and creativity (if in protest of War "and had a violation of law and order, there are no real dangers to people they do not exactly bear).
Illogically Court of the Moscow district of Saint Petersburg, and later the court found the prosecutor's arguments persuasive, that is agreed with the inability to release Vorotnikova and Nikolayev before the end of the investigation, even under a very large deposit (offers protection).Thus, the artists found more "dangerous" to society than people being vacated by the courts after committing such serious crimes as murder, rape, abuse of power.(Media reports, for example, recently released under a multimillion-dollar pledge from the village policeman Kushchevskaya where the crimes that shocked the country. It is interesting that the question of the origin of the money - a colossal sum for a simple civil servant - not caused if the court had no questions, no doubt while offered for Vorotnikova and Nikolayev 4 million rubles for some reason, were received with disbelief - although it is well known that the money was ready to transfer artist Banksy in solidarity and support of the "War".)
It should be noted that actual evidence of guilt Vorotnikova and Nikolaev have almost no consequence - all charges based on a mounted video clip from the Internet and the testimony of a man "identifies" the suspects from photographs.
The most odious part of the prosecution, no doubt, an item on the social hostility to a group of "militia".Experts in criminal law and experts in the field of anti-extremist legislation has repeatedly drawn attention to the absurdity of most of the question of recognition of the police social group - the more vulnerable and require additional protection against some discord.
In the deliberate abuse of remand seen bias and hostility of the secret police against people suspected of protests and social criticism of these particular structures.Detention artists accompanied by violence and torture (on their heads were wearing bags during the hours of transport detainees from Moscow to St. Petersburg they were forced to lie on the floor in handcuffs, they certainly beat - proof that even the prosecutor acknowledged test).During the conclusion of the jailers did not just "punish" Vorotnikova and Nikolayev: for example, Leonid Nikolayev was transferred to a regime of strict isolation in spetsblok, Oleg Vorotnikov kept in a damp and cold cell, testified that members of the Public Oversight Commission, personally verify the conditions of detention in jail and reported having that "the camera was an emergency, collar placed there in retaliation for complaints about the administration of prisons."
Increasingly, conviction of crimes and abuses of power is declared outside the law.This is the main reason for the hard persecution of artists - is indicative intimidate society and the criminalization of any criticism, both in artistic and political form.
Protection and support of political prisoners is not only important for them, it means self-defense of society itself. Everyone has the right to protest. Any artist has the right to freedom of expression.
***
At Monday, February 21, 2011, at 13:30 pm at the Independent Press Centre (Moscow, Russia. Prechistenka, 17 / 9) held a press conference, "What does the art-group" War "- the state prize, or a prison term?". On the day of the court to extend the detention of activists, artists, Leonid Nikolayev and Oleg Vorotnikova defenders and critics oppose the criminalization of creativity and social criticism.
Details on the website support group activists: http://free-voina.org
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