May 8, 2011

A gathering of about 200 persons took place in Khimki. There were activists of Greenpeace, WWF, political parties and other organizations who came to protest against destruction of the forest. People acted accordingly to the law: they stood on the edge of the road, leaving a passageway, and used neither banners nor megaphones. The gathering lasted 15 – 20 minutes. The result of this open meeting was the decision of all participants to join the tent camp in the area of the ongoing felling of Khimki Forest. The people left the place of meeting and began to move toward the Khimki Forest.

Suddenly the riot police began to catch the activists in a very brutal manner causing injuries and pushing them into police bus. It must be stressed out that police had not warned the people about any illegal activity from their side or about their intention to use force. It was looking like rather another bandit attack than a police action. Oleg Prudnikov was hit into his face. Gleb Sitnikov’s knee and elbow were scratched to blood. Ildar Isayev’s elbow was hurt to blood. Many other people during this arrest suffered from hurt knees or elbows and received bruises. Evgenia Chirikova was hit in her cheek, and her neck was injured. At a whole, about 20 persons were detained, including activists Evgenia Chirikova, Yaroslav Nikitenko, Sergey Ageev, ‘Yabloko’ party chairman Sergey Mitrokhin, Moscow Soviet chairman and ‘Left Front’ leader Sergey Udaltsov as well as a group of environmental activists from Klin town. The riot police went on beating people inside the bus, without any confusion, in the presence of more than a hundred eyewitnesses. Vassily Maliy was beaten by the riot police in the police van. Udaltsov received a rib damage and numerous hematomas. Mitrokhin’s arm was displaced. The detained people were conveyed to the 2nd Police Department of Khimki.

Khimki policemen Shakhov, Sheruimov, Tsurif, Romadin and many others participated in the arrest. Mr. Goldobin was its organizer. Head of information and PR department of the Chief Office of Moscow Region Police Evgeny Gildeyev told the press that the arrested ones broke law and resisted police – though no court decision was made about it.

Police protocols were written against the detained people. The persons were charged of resistance to policemen and organization of a non-sanctioned rally (articles 19.3 and 20.2 of the Administrative Infringements Code). Police repeatedly forbade lawyers to meet with the detained activists, the policemen behavior was very rude toward the arrested persons. Since the detention they had not received medical treatment and didn’t even get water to drink. One of the activists was called out of the jail and beaten in sight of the other detained persons, afterwards he was pushed to another jail.

A group of citizens came to support the detained defenders of Khimki Forest. They started picketing the house of Khimki Police Department requesting to free the arrested activists.

Several hours later the detained activists were brought to the court. Khimki policeman Sheruimov was exposed by the activists trying to forge the protocol of detainment directly in the hall of the court.

The judge of Khimki court returned the protocols back to the police department due to multiple inconsistencies. About 17.00 the detained were freed in the court hall and went to the tent camp.

Meanwhile, another group of activists (including Greenpeace and WWF representatives) managed to escape police. They stopped an illegal clearing and set up another camp in the forest near Khimki, not far from Fakel plant. The camp became the main environmentalists’ stronghold in the Khimki Forest.

Save Khimki Forest!

RESULT: The track is built, the defenders failed to defend their position (read more...)