Regarding our "pearl ensign"
The preparatory stage took a little longer than I expected. Partly this is due to the time difference between Moscow and New Haven, where I am currently staying—a damned inconvenient thing. But even more so because this case, it seems to me, calls not for a quick statement, but for a careful one. What has been done. The victim has been found. His name is Dmitry, he lives in St. Petersburg and works as a designer. Witnesses have been found. 1. svist, 2. ilya_evseev, 3. red_kornish, 4. xorax, 5. rusik78, 6. yura_sh, 7. cornelius_sulla My colleagues tried to get in touch with all of them, and four of those listed above (I can’t say exactly which ones; I only know the surnames) expressed a strong desire to give witness statements at any stage of the proceedings, from the preliminary inquiry to the trial. Hopefully the rest will join in as well. On Thursday, complaints were sent to the Prosecutor’s Office and the St. Petersburg Main Directorate of Internal Affairs. The full names, phone numbers, and addresses of the victim and the witnesses are entirely at the disposal of law enforcement. We are now entitled to demand a real investigation and punishment to the fullest extent on every count. Unlawful use of special equipment, battery, obscene language, unlawful detention, and so on. In addition, Dmitry filed a complaint on his own behalf. In addition, the St. Petersburg organizing committee of "Strategy 31" filed several complaints That is very good—you can’t spoil porridge with butter. As many already know, the St. Petersburg Main Directorate of Internal Affairs announced on its own initiative that it would conduct an inquiry. Call me paranoid, but I see this more as an attempt to muddy the waters. What kind of inquiry? Who is conducting it? Under which of the possible procedures? Under Article 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code? Or under the procedure of “call Semyonych and ask what’s going on”? So we welcome the statements by the St. Petersburg Main Directorate of Internal Affairs, but our top priority is to formalize the process. As for identifying the ensign himself—that’s no rocket science. A couple of times people sent me links to articles naming his surname. But since there is still no 100% certainty, for now we will refer to him as an "unidentified individual who committed unlawful acts". What is known for certain is that the "pearl ensign" serves in military unit 5402 of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Anyone wishing to familiarize themselves with the difficult life of this unit may follow these links. One. Two. Three. (The last link is not recommended for those whose children are preparing to pay their honorable debt to the Motherland through military service.) A request to people in St. Petersburg. Of course, my telegrams from Connecticut and letters from my Moscow office are all well and good. But I would very much like to coordinate with local legal professionals, and better yet with a lawyer or lawyers. If there are any attorneys in the Northern Capital (a common nickname for St. Petersburg) who, for a good cause and a bit of glory, would accompany the victim and witnesses to give statements, attend questioning sessions, and generally provide backup—that would be great. Obviously, there is no pay. But we will publicize this person / these people to the whole world, and many new clients will come to them. This will be an interesting case. And what is especially satisfying is that it will unfold at the same time as the discussion of the new draft law "On Police", which devotes so much attention to the use of those very rubber batons and the procedure for detaining citizens. We will be able to watch online the convulsions of St. Petersburg’s law enforcement system: new political instructions versus the habitual system of covering for their own. That’s all. Thanks again to everyone who searched for links, photographs, witnesses, and so on.