
This week’s Bulletin is not the happiest, but despite that we manage to conclude with two bits of good news. The hunger strike of film director Oleg Sentsov has entered its 40th day. He is demanding the release of “Ukrainian political prisoners.”
The investigation into the so-called “Network” case continues. Nine young people in Penza and St. Petersburg have been charged with taking part in Network, an alleged terrorist group. The suspects have allegedly made preparations for disturbances in the country. A number of the suspects stated that FSB officers tortured them with electric shocks.
In St. Petersburg, lawyers of followers of the Church of Scientology were given materials of the criminal investigation that included comments by the FSB investigator. The comments included: “He knows a lot, but keeps quiet - reinterrogate with an electric aid to memory,” An idiot, but knows for sure that there is no extremism or paid-for services,” “No link with the Church of Scientology Moscow - question him again.” The investigation into the members of the Church of Scientology is being conducted by the same FSB officers as conducted the investigation into the Network terrorist group, in which the suspects were repeatedly tortured with electric shocks. The blogger from Tiumen Aleksei Kungurov, convicted in connection with a blogpost, was released on 15 June. Kungurov was sentenced to two years in an open prison colony on charges of justification of terrorism (Article 205. 2, Section 1, of the Russian Criminal Code) for a publication entitled ‘Who are Putin’s hawks actually bombing?’ in which he described the situation in Syria. The blogger intends to leave Russia. The Presidential Human Rights Council has concluded that Oyub Titiev’s complaint that the drugs were planted on him has not been investigated appropriately. Oyub Titiev is head of the Chechnya branch of Memorial Human Rights Centre. He has been charged with possessing marijuana and held on remand since January. ThanksWith your help we can do more! Sign up to make a monthly donation to OVD-Info. This guarantees our monitoring work, our telephone hotline, provision of legal representation in court, and the work of our analysts and journalists. It is a guarantee for the people we are helping. |