The criminal case against Left Front activist Leonid Razvozzhayev, who is accused of masterminding massive disorders, reached the international level. The US authorities officially voiced their concerns to the Russian government and asked “to investigate the issue,” particularly the claims that the oppositionist was tortured and the testimony against Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov was beaten from him. The opposition is getting ready for an unauthorized protest action in Moscow in defence of the arrested.
Commenting on the situation over the criminal case against Leonid Razvozzhayev at the request of the Kommersant daily, press secretary of the US Embassy in Russia Joseph Kruzich stated that the United States is following attentively the development of the situation.
The Left Front activist has been kept at the Lefortovo reprimand prison since Sunday, the newspaper recalled. The Investigation Committee stated that he decided to turn himself in voluntarily and confirmed fully the information showed in the NTV film Anatomy of Protest-2 that he together with Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov was masterminding a coup d’etat in the autumn of 2012. He also confessed that Udaltsov masterminded the disorders on the Bolotnaya Square on May 6 during the March of Millions, and deputy of the Georgian parliament Givi Targamadze gave the financial aid to him. However, the human rights activists, who visited Razvozzhayev at the reprimand prison, said that he refused from his testimony, because he testified under the tortures. Last Friday, they claimed that the agents of the security services abducted the opposition activist right at the Kiev office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, where he came to ask for political asylum, and then he had been kept in the handcuffs for two days and was threatened that his relatives will be killed.
The Kommersant sources acquainted with the progress of the investigation do not rule out that Udaltsov can face right two criminal cases soon. This Friday the Left Front leader should turn up at the Investigation Committee, where he will face accusations in the criminal case over masterminding a coup d’etat, the details of which he had discussed with Givi Targamadze, according to the film Anatomy of Protest-2. “But it is probable that soon after that Udaltsov will be charged with masterminding the disorders on May 6,” the sources said. Udaltsov has not been speaking on the mobile phone for the last two days with his Left Front member fellows and the journalists, and his mobile phone is switched off.
Human rights activist Zoya Svetova told the Novye Izvestia daily that the human rights organizations will follow closely the situation over Razvozzhayev and will take all possible measures to reinstate and observe his civil rights. “The human rights activists will file a plea with the results of their visit to the Lefortovo reprimand prison over violation of the rules of the defendant in all legal instances up to the president,” Svetova said. She also noted the fact that Chairman of the Presidential Human Rights Council Mikhail Fedotov asked Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika and head of the Investigation Committee Alexander Bastrykin to put the situation over Razvozzhayev under personal control.
On Wednesday, anchorman Leonid Parfenov stated about the intentions of the opposition to hold an unauthorized protest action in defence of the arrested oppositionists this Saturday, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported. Meanwhile, the situation with Leonid Razvozzhayev continued to develop rapidly on Wednesday. Members of the public supervising committee headed by Valery Borshchev said about their visit to the arrested oppositionist, pledging to investigate possible tortures against him, including psychological tortures.
After the visit to Razvozzhayev at the reprimand prison the human rights activists stated about “a new way” of the struggle of the state authorities against dissidence, the newspaper noted. It seemed to them that the arrested oppositionist is in a hazy condition. Valery Borshchev was shocked over what Razvozzhayev said to him about the details of his arrest, “The experience of the Stalinist era in the thirties of the previous century is being revived, when the White Guard generals were abducted and killed.” “The tortures took place, but he was not beaten, horrible psychological tortures took place, and he had to give a false testimony,” the human rights activist added.
The main question remains unclear: how was Razvozzhayev brought back to Russia? the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily reported. The affair is a matter of principle: if Russia has the possibilities to abduct people in neighbouring countries, then we live in the epoch of Ivan the Terrible. If it is not so, then there is a hope for restoring the justice. Meanwhile, everybody believes tacitly that the abduction took place. The Russian Investigation Committee does not hurry to dispel the rumours.