Udaltsov Is Being Frightened by Lifelong Imprisonment

It became known in the morning on Wednesday criminal case was brought that against the coordinator of “The Left Front”. It was declared by the official representative of Investigatory committee of Russia Vladimir Markin. Case was initiated after check of facts stated in the film of NTV ‘Anatomy of Protest – 2”, according to part 1, art. 30 “Preparation for a crime and attempt to commit a crime” and part 1, art. 212 "Mass riots". Punishment under these articles – from four to ten years of imprisonment.

The same morning, on October 17 inspectors carried out a search in Sergey Udaltsov's apartment, in the apartment of his parents and also in the apartments of two other persons involved in case – Konstantin Lebedev and Leonid Razvozzhayev.

When the search was over fighters of the special troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs took oppositionist Sergey Udaltsov out from the apartment and brought him to Investigatory Committee for questioning.

According to the version of the investigation, persons involved in business on June, 2012 had meeting with the chairman of parliamentary Defense and Security Committee of Georgia Givi Targamadze and the consul of Georgia in Moldova Mikhail Iashvili in Minsk. The meeting was photographed by the hidden camera and shown in “Anatomy of Protest – 2”. According to the creator of the film, runaway oligarch and ex-president of "Bank of Moscow" Andrey Borodin expressed readiness to allocate large sum of money to support opposition in the Russian Federation. Givi Targamadze acted as intermediary in organization of financing channel and Udaltsov and nationalists should be performers of the plan on activization of protest in Russia.

According to Markin, as phonoscopic expertise established that “a voice, including the one in the plots shot by hidden surveillance camera in film “Anatomy of Protest – 2”, belongs to Udaltsov and the meeting which fragments are shown in the film occurred in the second half of June, 2012 in premises in the capital of Republic of Belarus – Minsk”.

Inspectors promise to check also information on that participants of the meeting could have prepared acts of terrorism in Russia: “In case this information finds confirmation, it will be given corresponding legal assessment and legal qualification of actions of S. Udaltsov and his interlocutors including citizens of Georgia”, – Markin declared.

It’s symptomatically that criminal case against Udaltsov was brought right after carrying out of uniform day of voting on October, 14 (the film “Anatomy of Protest – 2”, let me remind you, was shown on October, 5). Probably, satisfactory results which "United Russia" showed on elections convinced the authorities that the protest exhausted and now it’s high time to end up with opposition. Whether it means that Putin’s – softened – variant of 1937 will gradually start developing before our eyes?

“From the legal point of view criminal case has no judicial prospect”, – the director of Institute of Problems of Globalization Mikhail Delyagin is sure.

– Strictly speaking, there’s even no fact of mass riots in the case and that were police officers who acted illegally, – Delyagin speaks. – If to return to events on May, 6, Udaltsov really started putting demonstrators on earth before cordon of OMON and it was utter nonsense from the point of view of common sense. Other thing is absolutely clear: a person sitting on the earth physically can't effectively attack the OMON fighter. Besides, till 19.30 – official time of termination of a meeting – its participants could do everything they want if only these actions don’t offend public moral. It is clear that the person sitting on the earth causes questions, but moral isn’t offended here in any way.

There is still one moment. Initiation of legal proceedings on the basis of video filming by hidden camera is doomed to failure in advance. The shots shown in “Anatomy of Protest – 2”, most likely, are made without permission of a court. I draw such conclusion because hidden shooting made lawfully usually is more qualitative. If so – shooting of NTV is not adequate proof which the court has the right to consider.

All this - in theory. In practice, our courts – Basmanny and Hamovnichesky – can pass practically every decision on a basis of “flash right”.

Nevertheless, I thing that now the power tries not to imprison Sergey Udaltsov, but to intimidate ordinary participants of the protest. We are as though shown: we will leave free known oppositionists, people with names, we will imprison simple soldiers. At that the more known is the oppositionist, the bigger safety he has. Look: there are no claims to Alexey Navalny, they even returned confiscated money to Ksenia Sobchak that happens very rare in practice of law enforcement agencies … That fact that representatives of law-enforcement system seemingly studied from all Russian history only 1937 fuels the flame…

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The mode crossed red line

Statement

Criminal case against Sergey Udaltsov and other "heroes" of the propaganda film of NTV means that the mode crossed the red line separating system which breaks democratic principles from repressive system of totalitarian type. Absurdity of charges worthy Stalin’s indicative processes is demonstration of gravity of intentions of the Russian authorities to bring all power of police prosecutions down on peace opposition.

We responsibly declare that even if authenticity of the words of the Russian participants of the meeting shown in the film “Anatomy of Protest -2” will be confirmed, there are no grounds for their criminal prosecution.

We consider that those who adjoin today slander campaign on opposition should be shameful – they help to pursue obviously innocent people.

In spite of the fact that the highest political character of the order for pseudo-legal prosecution of opposition is obvious to all, we declare that management of the Investigatory Committee headed by Bastrykin bears personal responsibility for fabrication of criminal cases. Unfortunately, today Alexander Ivanovich starts to play in domestic justice the same role as notoriously famous Andrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky.

Fabrication of prosecutions of opposition creates irreversible situation, dangerously lifts confrontation degree in society.

We demand immediate release of political prisoners, termination of forged prosecution of opposition and Bastrykin's resignation!

We call parliamentary and extra parliamentary opposition, all civil society in common to oppose persecutions of activists of the protest movement.

Lev Ponomarev, executive director of the All-Russia movement “For Human Rights”

Igor Bakirov, coordinator of the Movement "The White Ribbon"

Lyudmila Alekseeva, chairman of the Moscow Helsinki group

Sergey Kovalev, chairman of the board of Museum and Public center named after A.Sakharov

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