04 August 2019, 11:10
Igor Kalyapin detained during protest action in Moscow
The head of the Committee against Torture (CaT), Igor Kalyapin, was detained in Moscow at an unauthorized rally against the non-admission of opposition candidates to the elections to the Moscow City Duma. This time, the total number of detainees was 600 people.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that protests are being held in Moscow against the refusal to register opposition candidates to the City Duma. At a similar rally on July 27, hundreds of people were detained, including many from other cities.
The protest rally in Moscow, held on August 3 under the motto "Let's regain the right to vote-2", was the continuation of the July 27 one. It was also not sanctioned by the authorities.
Igor Kalyapin, who is also a member of the Human Rights Council, was detained at the action. "They detained me in Pushkin Square, claiming that was done for my participation in the unsanctioned rally," said Igor Kalyapin.
He was detained after he gave a short interview to reporters, says the CaT's page on the Facebook.
Later, Igor Kalyapin wrote in his Facebook page that he was released without presenting any charge. He treated his detention as unlawful and filed a complaint against law enforcers' actions.
The total number of detainees at the action made over 800 persons.
Igor Kalyapin takes part in the investigation of cases of human rights violations in Northern Caucasus. In particular, he participated in the July 23 press conference in Moscow at which the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", the CaT and "Novaya Gazeta" presented testimonies of witnesses of the detentions and disappearances of residents of Chechnya from the so-called "execution list" that took place from December 2016 to January 2017.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 3, 2019 at 10:25 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
