St. Petersburg- On The Situation of Mihail Lunkovskij- Persecuted by Russian State

international | rights, freedoms and repression | news report Thursday July 20, 2006 13:00 by G8 translator

Solidarity Group in Moscow Look For support For Mihail Lunkovskij

Individual tale of police and state persecution and intimidation, faked evidence, poor legal rights which highlights the difficulties people are faced with in Russia before and now after the G8 summit in St.Petersburg.

On July 10th, in the yard of his house, Mihail Lunkovskij was sentenced to 15 days incarceration on the basis of exiguous allegations of „minor hooliganism’(foul-mouthed verbal abuse in a public area) which he is now serving in the special detention centre Zaharjevskaja ulitsa 6.

After Mihails arrest staff of the “Legal Protection Agency” conducted an unapproved house search during which papers and also objects were confiscated that were irrelevant to the items of investigation (a modem,an exercise machine).

On the 18th of July at midday Mihail was called from his cell for a “talk” where someone (obviously a member of the “state guards”) made known to him that he was been threatened with criminal proceedings for “organisation of an extreme group” (presumably because he was the main leaseholder of an apartment in which even before the beginning of the G8 summit nine activists were arrested and sentenced to 10-15 days imprisonment because of faked accusations -foul-mouthed verbal abuse in a public area for russian people and urinating in a public area for foreigners).

Mihail has serious health problems, therefore we are very worried about his health and for his life should his prison term be extended.

We will observe the situation attentively and initiate an international solidarity campaign should the threats and intimidation attempts come true.

Furthermore we will exert pressure on the state by all the means we have at our disposal.

Stay tuned!