This is how one of the single pickets on Lenin Square looked. The lawyer of the Novosibirsk residents detained in the square and Lenin explained what happened
The lawyer of the Novosibirsk residents detained on Lenin Square, Vasily Dubkov, explained what happened on January 30 and for what the people were taken to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
«It was impossible to leave, since the square was unhooked by riot police.»
Vasily Dubkov defended many of those who were detained during the day on Lenin Square, although a report on administrative detention was not drawn up against them.
— As my clients told me, at about 12:40 pm they were on Lenin Square — each for different reasons: someone was standing in a solitary picket without breaking the law, someone was walking, someone was doing their journalistic work. In the same place, somewhere in the square, in a circle of gathered people, someone was playing the guitar. Suddenly, a voice came from the loudspeaker and announced that the event was illegal and everyone should disperse. But it was impossible to leave, since the square was unhooked by riot police. Polite people in civilian clothes, sometimes even addressing personally by name and patronymic, without identifying themselves, offered to go to the paddy wagon. It was impossible to refuse this offer, since it was reinforced by the presence of riot police. In total, there were 20-25 people, — the lawyer describes the events of Saturday from the words of his clients.
«They are just witnesses in some criminal case»
People were loaded into cars and taken to some building, where everyone was taken to the assembly hall, from which it was impossible to leave freely, as we wrote earlier. After it was confirmed that the people were brought to the building of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Novosibirsk region.
“A few hours later, people began to be taken out for interrogation by the investigators. At the same time, some of them sat in this assembly hall for more than three hours. Personally, my wards only learned from the investigators that they were not detained, that they were just witnesses in some criminal case under Art. 212.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (repeated violation of the established procedure for organizing or holding a meeting, rally, demonstration, procession or picketing), and were “invited” in such a peculiar way for interrogation, — Vasily Dubkov tells the NGS journalist, calling the people he helped not “clients «, But» wards «, because strictly legally, a suspect, an accused or a person in respect of whom an administrative offense case is being conducted, but not a witness (witnesses do not call a lawyer a defender, — Approx. ed.).
“Something soothing SMS didn’t come for a very long time”
After questioning the first such witness, the lawyer explains, the investigator said that he was no longer being held and he was free to leave:
— I’ve calmed down. Without seeing the ward to leave the building, I asked him to inform me via SMS that he had safely left the building. And at that time he went to the investigator for questioning with the next witness. But the soothing SMS didn’t come for a very long time. Imagine my surprise when I learned that my ward did not leave the building freely, but was escorted back to the paddy wagon and then taken to the Central Police Department. Fearing for the fate of another of my charges, after interrogation, I took him out of the building of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs almost «by the handle.»
«We managed to draw up delivery protocols without a lawyer.»
Vasily Dubkov notes that the story has continued already in the district police department:
— At first, the duty officer tried to convince me that all my clients had already been released. But the detained woman stated in the telephone receiver that she and several other people were in “some basement”. As a result, at my urgent requests, the police officers nevertheless found my detainees. This time it turned out that in relation to people they had already managed to draw up protocols of delivery without me, that is, without a lawyer. From the moment of drawing up such a protocol, the case on an administrative offense is considered initiated and the period of detention begins to be calculated. At the same time, the police asked to sign these protocols under the words that they received a copy of the protocol.
«I met a lawyer who was going to defend these people.»
But, according to the lawyer, none of his now clients received a copy of such a protocol. Vasily Dubkov learned from the delivery protocols that people are charged with Part 5 of Art. 20.2 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (violation of the established procedure for organizing or holding a meeting, meeting, demonstration, procession or picketing).
— After taking away the explanations and «rolling fingers» — the fingerprinting procedure — my clients were finally released. From the moment of the actual detention until the long-awaited freedom, some had to wait 6, 7 or more hours. It is possible that this story is not over yet. On the fact of illegal detention — restriction of freedom without drawing up procedural documents and actually detaining people for more than three hours, we may file relevant complaints with our clients, — says Vasily Dubkov.
His clients reported that several people remained in the police station on duty, who were detained with them, and more serious charges were brought against them.
— Leaving the police department at 22 o’clock with my last released client today, I met a lawyer who was going to defend these people, — notes Vasily Dubkov.
Earlier we wrote about the fate of the detained Novosibirsk people detained at the rally in support of Navalny.
