28th and 29th of September 2011 four persons (two young men and two young woman) were detained in Moscow, suspected of crimes under statute 213 part 2 ("hooliganism") and statute 167 part 2 ("property destruction with arson") of Russian criminal codex. They are suspected of having committed a bomb attack against traffic police station in 22th kilometre of Moscow ringroad 7th of June 2011, and arson against an excavator in construction site of Volokamski motorway 5th of June 2011. Police did not have any proof about participation of the arrested to these actions, and 3th of October all of them were released. Goal of the arrests was solely to pressure anarchists to give testimony with means of psychological and physical torture.
Arrests, searches and interrogations were done as a common operation of UGRO (Criminal Investigation Department), FSB (x-KGB) and Center E (Center for Counteraction Against Extremism). Also fifth search was committed, at home of anarchist K - his home was searched already second time this year Apparently K was not arrested as he managed to contact his lawyer, who was immediately available for interrogations.
During arrests, mobile phones, computers (including those of relatives), digital medium, crossbow, kitchen knives, gasoline container (belonging to father of one of the arrested) were confiscated. Literature and leaflets were confiscated from K. Police claimed in their website, that a molotov cocktail was confiscated as well, but this was misinformation.
A was arrested 28th of September, late in the evening. As he was returning home, three undercover officers who had been hiding in car disguised as paramedics, attacked him. He was taken to a forest by masked officers, who held him at a gunpoint and demanded him to give testimony against himself, and later on he was beaten up. Papers on his arrest were filled only the next day, and officially he was arrested only 29t of September.
29th of September around 9:30 AM, B was arrested. Three undercover cops, who were also hiding in a car disguised as paramedics, jumped her from behind, without presenting any documents. B managed to wound two of them with a knife, but as wounds of the officers were not serious and legality of the arrest method was dubious at least, no charges were pressed against her. B turned 18 years old only few days before the arrests, and police was not hiding the fact that they consciously decided to move forward with the arrests only when B was not underage anymore.
29th of Seprember around 8 PM C was arrested at his home. FSB broke in to his house with help of local police. After arrest, C was also beaten up by the police. Conditions of the arrest of the fourth person are unknown.
According to laws of the Russian federation, maximum period of arrest without a court decision is 48 hours. However, police bypassed these laws illegally by arresting suspected immediately after 48 hours by pressing other charges against them. Even original arrests were filled with false dates. Thus B spent in arrest alltogether 103 hours, without any court decisions.
Right now, arrested are suspected of two criminal cases, but no charges have been pressed against them. Almost all of them have now lawyers, but funds are much needed for legal costs.
If you want to donate for the lawyer costs, please visit
http://wiki.avtonom.org/en/index.php/Donate
Besides interrogations on arson and bomb attack, police has launched a wide effort to track down anarchist infrastructure and circle of friends of the arrested. As nobody was officially charged, it is much possible that new arrestes and searches will follow.
Anarchist Black Cross of Moscow