Activist of Makhachkala Navalny's office tells about his detention

Murad Manapov, an employee of the Navalny's office in Makhachkala, told the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"* that at the police station, law enforcers demanded from him to tell about the plans of the office and about his relatives; he received several blows and threats of torture.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Alexei Navalny's office opened in Makhachkala on April 11; and Eduard Ataev, a local activist, became its coordinator. On April 12, Ataev's associates reported that they could not contact him and his assistant Murad Manapov. On April 13, it became known that Eduard Ataev was serving 10 days of his administrative arrest in Khasavyurt, while his assistant, Murad Manapov, had been arrested on charges of petty hooliganism and was released on April 14.

At the police, Manapov was told that he had been detained for petty hooliganism. However, the law enforcers, who talked with him for several hours, asked about the opening of Navalny's office in Makhachkala, about the plans of the office, about Manapov's attitude to the current government, and also requested information about his relatives: names, residences and telephone numbers. According to Manapov, he was subjected to psychological pressure, received threats of physical violence and torture with electric shocks, and even inflicted several light blows on the head and leg. Under the pressure, he signed a protocol on an administrative offense, but refused to plead guilty, the report says.

* the HRC "Memorial" is recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 15, 2021 at 10:03 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.