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10 Dec 2011, 11:51
On December 6, 2011 Philip Kostenko, activist of the Russian human rights organization Memorial, began a hunger strike. He was arrested near Gostiny Dvor at the peaceful rally in St. Petersburg against widespread violations in the State Duma elections. He was charged with failure to follow a police officer’s orders (Article 19.3). His case was heard by Judge Alexei Kuznetsov, whom many oppositionists claim is known for accepting false statements from police officers and handing down harsh punishments. Kostenko was sentenced to 15 days in custody. Another illegally arrested activist Victor Demyanenko joined Kostenko on the hunger strike. They demand
03 Jan 2011, 13:06
Nothing is really happening to me here, so there isn’t much to write about. But I hardly can do any work here either. I live on ‘the palm tree’, the upper berth of a three-tier bunkbed. The middle berth, the narrowest one, is called ‘the suitcase’. The suitcase doesn’t have a bottom, only planks.
The suitcase is the shittiest place to sleep, although the palm is of even less value to the inmates. Moreover, the palm is illegal. Several times a year the attorney’s office inspects the prison and bans the palm. The bunkbeds are supposed to have only two tiers. PTDF’s (Pre-Trial Detention Facility) administration nods obediently and the palms are filed down, then appear again. It’s been happening over and over again for a long time. The attorney’s orders are never complied with. |
