Forwarded from DOXA
Yesterday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the ‘Wagner PMC’ group, announced that the mercenaries had been targeted by the Russian military.
In response, the group set up a base in Rostov-on-Don and commenced the ‘march of justice’ towards Moscow. Essentially, the Wagner fighters orchestrated a military coup.
However, in less than 24 hours Prigozhin has seemingly changed his plans.
We have compiled the significant events of this day in English.
In response, the group set up a base in Rostov-on-Don and commenced the ‘march of justice’ towards Moscow. Essentially, the Wagner fighters orchestrated a military coup.
However, in less than 24 hours Prigozhin has seemingly changed his plans.
We have compiled the significant events of this day in English.
Forwarded from Зона солидарности
Solidarity zone often announces fundraisers to pay for lawyers' fees during the appeals process. Why is it important to appeal a sentence? Read these cards to find out. And support our fundraisers!
In Russian
#english
In Russian
#english
Forwarded from Зона солидарности
The Ukrainian Sergei Okrushko is being tortured in Russia
He is charged with sabotage at an oil processing plant
The Ukrainian Sergei Okrushko was arrested on 28 July while trying to leave Russia for Kazakhstan. The FSB suspected him of sabotage on an oil processing plant in Samara, where Sergei worked, and an explosion had occurred there on that day. The very next day a court sent Okrushko to a pre-trial detention centre.
During the court hearing on pre-trial detention measures, Sergei Okrushko said that he holds an anti-war position and had committed the act for political reasons.
The Kuybyshev oil processing plant where the blast occurred is the largest enterprise in the Samara district, processing around 7 million tonnes of oil per year. The plant specialises in the production of fuel for all kinds of means of transport, from automotive to maritime.
According to the investigation, the explosion cost more than 30 million roubles (€ 285 000). There were no casualties.
On 1 August the lawyer Zakhar Lebedev, working with "Solidarity Zone", visited Sergei Okrushko in the pre-trial detention centre and received consent to provide him with legal representation. However, on 3 August Sergei rejected his defence lawyer, while the latter drew attention to new serious bruises on the body of the suspect.
According to the lawyer Lebedev: "I asked Sergei to specify aloud in the presence of the investigator and the state-appointed lawyer, whether he indeed gives his consent for me to defend him, as indicated in the document that he had written himself in the pre-trial detention centre. In a voice that was almost trembling, Sergei quietly said that he wanted to use the lawyer he had previously [i.e., as appointed by the investigator], so as not to drag out the process".
The lawyer Lebedev asked for a written confirmation of his dismissal, and Okrushko wrote that he was withdrawing his earlier consent for legal representation.
"At the moment when Sergei sat writing this, I noticed that his left arm, across most of his shoulder and forearm, was purple: it was clear that these were serious bruises that had not been there on 1 August, when I visited him in the pre-trial detention centre. When I asked where he had got these bruises from, Sergei replied without thinking, 'In detention'. When I followed up by asking why he had not had them when I visited him in pre-trial detention, Sergei answered uncertainly that they had only just appeared."
On 7 August the lawyer Zakhar Lebedev tried to visit Sergei Okrushko in the pre-trial detention centre in Samara. However, the lawyer was refused entry to visit the accused. At first the staff referenced instructions from the investigator, and then they claimed that Orkushko was not in the pre-trial detention centre.
We are convinced that between 1 August and the following day, Sergei Okrushko was tortured in the pre-trial detention centre or in another place in order to make him turn down an independent lawyer. On 7 August, the lawyer was refused entry so that he could not document traces of torture. Alas, at this stage of proceedings, those responsible for these crimes have succeeded in their aim. However, we will be redoubling our efforts to provide Okrushko with proper legal defence and support.
We ask independent media outlets and human rights organisations to spread information about the case of Sergei Okrushko and the torture it is likely he is now undergoing. Publicity may help protect the prisoner.
✉️ Also you can help Sergei by writing:
Okrushko Sergei Aleksandrovich, DOB 1981
❓ If you have questions, email us to: solidarity_zone@riseup.net
#english
He is charged with sabotage at an oil processing plant
The Ukrainian Sergei Okrushko was arrested on 28 July while trying to leave Russia for Kazakhstan. The FSB suspected him of sabotage on an oil processing plant in Samara, where Sergei worked, and an explosion had occurred there on that day. The very next day a court sent Okrushko to a pre-trial detention centre.
During the court hearing on pre-trial detention measures, Sergei Okrushko said that he holds an anti-war position and had committed the act for political reasons.
The Kuybyshev oil processing plant where the blast occurred is the largest enterprise in the Samara district, processing around 7 million tonnes of oil per year. The plant specialises in the production of fuel for all kinds of means of transport, from automotive to maritime.
According to the investigation, the explosion cost more than 30 million roubles (€ 285 000). There were no casualties.
On 1 August the lawyer Zakhar Lebedev, working with "Solidarity Zone", visited Sergei Okrushko in the pre-trial detention centre and received consent to provide him with legal representation. However, on 3 August Sergei rejected his defence lawyer, while the latter drew attention to new serious bruises on the body of the suspect.
According to the lawyer Lebedev: "I asked Sergei to specify aloud in the presence of the investigator and the state-appointed lawyer, whether he indeed gives his consent for me to defend him, as indicated in the document that he had written himself in the pre-trial detention centre. In a voice that was almost trembling, Sergei quietly said that he wanted to use the lawyer he had previously [i.e., as appointed by the investigator], so as not to drag out the process".
The lawyer Lebedev asked for a written confirmation of his dismissal, and Okrushko wrote that he was withdrawing his earlier consent for legal representation.
"At the moment when Sergei sat writing this, I noticed that his left arm, across most of his shoulder and forearm, was purple: it was clear that these were serious bruises that had not been there on 1 August, when I visited him in the pre-trial detention centre. When I asked where he had got these bruises from, Sergei replied without thinking, 'In detention'. When I followed up by asking why he had not had them when I visited him in pre-trial detention, Sergei answered uncertainly that they had only just appeared."
On 7 August the lawyer Zakhar Lebedev tried to visit Sergei Okrushko in the pre-trial detention centre in Samara. However, the lawyer was refused entry to visit the accused. At first the staff referenced instructions from the investigator, and then they claimed that Orkushko was not in the pre-trial detention centre.
We are convinced that between 1 August and the following day, Sergei Okrushko was tortured in the pre-trial detention centre or in another place in order to make him turn down an independent lawyer. On 7 August, the lawyer was refused entry so that he could not document traces of torture. Alas, at this stage of proceedings, those responsible for these crimes have succeeded in their aim. However, we will be redoubling our efforts to provide Okrushko with proper legal defence and support.
We ask independent media outlets and human rights organisations to spread information about the case of Sergei Okrushko and the torture it is likely he is now undergoing. Publicity may help protect the prisoner.
✉️ Also you can help Sergei by writing:
443022, Samara, Sadovyi proezd, d. 22, SIZO-1,Okrushko Sergei Aleksandrovich, DOB 1981
❓ If you have questions, email us to: solidarity_zone@riseup.net
#english
Generally, we cannot show you anything of what the donations we receive are used for. But sometimes it’s possible to show just a little bit.
This is a seed box. You know, one of those to be slung at your balcony, fence or window for planting flowers? Right. The thing is, this one is to be filled with something a little different than soil, and is intended for planting something else, not flowers. It’s displayed upside down on the photo, and some distortion effects are added so as to spoil the Big Brother’s attempts to find anything like a piece of evidence here.
Of course, we are not going to tell you «when», «what» and «where». So stay in tune for the upcoming hashed announcements.
To support the people who are busy preparing interesting things, you can make a cryptocurrency contribution following this guideline: https://t.me/BlackBridgeSupport/218
This is a seed box. You know, one of those to be slung at your balcony, fence or window for planting flowers? Right. The thing is, this one is to be filled with something a little different than soil, and is intended for planting something else, not flowers. It’s displayed upside down on the photo, and some distortion effects are added so as to spoil the Big Brother’s attempts to find anything like a piece of evidence here.
Of course, we are not going to tell you «when», «what» and «where». So stay in tune for the upcoming hashed announcements.
To support the people who are busy preparing interesting things, you can make a cryptocurrency contribution following this guideline: https://t.me/BlackBridgeSupport/218
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If someone who has never been to Russia asks how it feels to live there in 2023, a complete, thoughtful answer can take hours and pages of text. The Telegram format is unlikely suitable for such volumes, so we are going to try and give you a brief summary from within.
First of all, it's necessary to underline that if you are a staunch (or not so staunch) supporter of the Russian President, your life just goes on as it did before. The same is true if you don't support the "Father of the Nation" at all, but somehow you manage to disable your brains and carry on pretending that nothing extraordinary happens. Indeed, you still have food products in your local store, your job, your car, your home, your iPhone, several loans you have to pay out, the same primitive (more or less) entertainment activities and so forth. You even still have got the opportunity to fry your belly under the hot sunlight of Turkey, Egypt or Thailand. What else can you dream of?
But when neither of that is the case for you, when you cannot force yourself to stop thinking, when pretending that everything's just fine does not work - well, that's where you start facing problems. And the first and most important one is loneliness. You are totally alone. There is no way you can speak out on your views and opinions in public, as it dramatically increases your chances to meet the law enforcement system. You cannot talk about it with your colleagues at work, for you never know which one of them is going to squeal on you. In most cases, it is not helpful to talk to your friends either, because they generally tend to avoid such conversations. Finally, you often get no moral support even from your family. Your parents are "patriots", and that immediately puts a thick wall between you and them, when any attempt to argue leads to quarrels and almost hysterical reactions. Your conversations with them become hollow and abstract, and it only makes your depression deeper. You may consider yourself lucky, if you have at least someone (spouse, brother, sister) with whom you can share what bothers you. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, even that is not an option.
Next, legal aspect. You find yourself in a situation when the list of your rights keeps shrinking, while your obligations grow. Remember that cliche from Hollywood movies, "You have the right to remain silent... anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law"? Well, remaining silent is about the only right you still have got in Russia, and the question is for how long. Anything you say, write or post may be used against you, and that is not a figure of speech.
This, naturally, involves the certainty aspect. Certainty is a luxurious privilege you are not entitled to. You cannot be sure about how many people out there are like you. They are alone, just like you, and will never display their true attitude, just like you. You cannot be sure whether you violate the law with your actions or words, as new laws are printed faster than banknotes. Speaking of the banknotes, by the way, there is no certainty about them either. You never know how much value the money will lose tomorrow, and there is no telling when it can literally turn to toilet paper. This is not to mention that the System can deprive you of your money in a single click by just freezing your bank accounts.
Second part >>
First of all, it's necessary to underline that if you are a staunch (or not so staunch) supporter of the Russian President, your life just goes on as it did before. The same is true if you don't support the "Father of the Nation" at all, but somehow you manage to disable your brains and carry on pretending that nothing extraordinary happens. Indeed, you still have food products in your local store, your job, your car, your home, your iPhone, several loans you have to pay out, the same primitive (more or less) entertainment activities and so forth. You even still have got the opportunity to fry your belly under the hot sunlight of Turkey, Egypt or Thailand. What else can you dream of?
But when neither of that is the case for you, when you cannot force yourself to stop thinking, when pretending that everything's just fine does not work - well, that's where you start facing problems. And the first and most important one is loneliness. You are totally alone. There is no way you can speak out on your views and opinions in public, as it dramatically increases your chances to meet the law enforcement system. You cannot talk about it with your colleagues at work, for you never know which one of them is going to squeal on you. In most cases, it is not helpful to talk to your friends either, because they generally tend to avoid such conversations. Finally, you often get no moral support even from your family. Your parents are "patriots", and that immediately puts a thick wall between you and them, when any attempt to argue leads to quarrels and almost hysterical reactions. Your conversations with them become hollow and abstract, and it only makes your depression deeper. You may consider yourself lucky, if you have at least someone (spouse, brother, sister) with whom you can share what bothers you. Unfortunately, in a lot of cases, even that is not an option.
Next, legal aspect. You find yourself in a situation when the list of your rights keeps shrinking, while your obligations grow. Remember that cliche from Hollywood movies, "You have the right to remain silent... anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law"? Well, remaining silent is about the only right you still have got in Russia, and the question is for how long. Anything you say, write or post may be used against you, and that is not a figure of speech.
This, naturally, involves the certainty aspect. Certainty is a luxurious privilege you are not entitled to. You cannot be sure about how many people out there are like you. They are alone, just like you, and will never display their true attitude, just like you. You cannot be sure whether you violate the law with your actions or words, as new laws are printed faster than banknotes. Speaking of the banknotes, by the way, there is no certainty about them either. You never know how much value the money will lose tomorrow, and there is no telling when it can literally turn to toilet paper. This is not to mention that the System can deprive you of your money in a single click by just freezing your bank accounts.
Second part >>
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