Moscow law enforcement agents beat up and raped detained activist Artem Kamardin, Novaya Gazeta. Europe has learned.
Earlier today, Moscow police agents broke into the flat of activists Artem Kamardin, Alexandra Popova, and Alexander Menukov. The policemen did not let lawyer Leonid Solovyev into the flat due to them conducting a surveillance activity “room inspection” inside.
Law enforcement agents “beat Kamardin severely and put a dumbbell in his anal opening”. Afterwards, they made him record a video apology for saying “Glory to Kievan Rus, Novorossiya — suck dick” (or New Russia, this is how the Russian propaganda refers to Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions - translator’s note). He is still in custody.
Telegram channel 112 posted a video with Kamardin’s “apology”.
The law enforcement agents also used force and threatened to rape detained activist Alexandra Popova.
“There’s a lot of superglue on me, because law enforcement agents used superglue to glue stickers onto my face, they tried to glue my mouth shut, pulled out my hair, kicked me, and threatened me — they told me that five of them would rape me,” Popova said. She is no longer in custody.
The policemen showed her the video of Kamardin being raped.
She also said that $600 dollars had gone missing from their flat after the police search.
Solovyev previously told Novaya Gazeta. Europe that Popova and Kamardin had been brought out of the flat handcuffed, Menukov — with his hands free. The inspection of the flat was finished around 5PM Moscow time, all three activists were taken to the Tversky district Investigative Committee. It is still unknown under what criminal case the police surveillance activities were conducted and how it is connected to the activists that live in the flat.
Yesterday, 25 September, an event known as Mayakovsky poetry readings took place in Moscow, near the monument to the famous Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. Activists previously stated that September’s readings would be known as “anti-mobilisation” poetry readings. Kamardin participated in yesterday’s readings.
