Advocate claims police's misconduct at detention of Gritsevich in Sochi (+video)

Ecologist Vladimir Kimaev and journalist Anna Gritsevich, detained in Sochi, committed no illegal actions, says advocate Alexander Popkov. In the actions of the police, he saw obstruction of Gritsevich's journalistic activities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Kimaev and Gritsevich were detained in Sochi on June 29, when they were inspecting the territory of an unauthorized dump in the village of Chereshnya.

In the evening of the same day, the detainees were released from the police against signatures to appear at court for the consideration of the charge against of disobeying policemen in the exercise by them of their official duties. The penalty under this article is an administrative fine or arrest for up to fifteen days.

According to Roman Shikarev, the leader of the movement "Law and Order", the detainees spent more than five hours in the police station. Alexander Popkov has explained such a long detention by the fact that policemen acted against the procedural law.

"They face a completely illegal charge. Allegedly, they organized an unauthorized event, didn't let trucks, and organized people not to let trucks," said the advocate, adding that the detainees' belongings.

"They damaged Kimaev's video record; completely erased it; and spoiled his memory stick. Kimaev managed to film Anna's detention – they dislocated her arm; they grasped her rather rudely," said Popkov.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.