Russia’s police state showed its real face in latest protest crackdown
Russia’s police state showed its real face in latest protest crackdown
Author(s): Giovanni PigniSubject(s): Civil Society, Government/Political systems, Security and defense, Political behavior, Crowd Psychology: Mass phenomena and political interactions
Published by: Kolegium Europy Wschodniej im. Jana Nowaka-Jeziorańskiego we Wrocławiu
Keywords: Russia; Russian state police; Dmitry Gliuz; mass protests; opposition leader Alexei Navalny; politically motivated arrest; repression;
Summary/Abstract: Russian police detained Dmitry Gliuz, aged 30, on Sennaya Square, in the centre of St Petersburg, shortly after he came out from the metro. “I wasn’t doing anything wrong, just standing and looking at my phone, when suddenly policemen grabbed me and punched me in the stomach”. Gliuz was among the thousands of people detained on January 31st during the nationwide protests in support of Russian opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. Gliuz, who is affected by a severe eye disease, was kept for 13 hours in a St Petersburg police station, despite the fact that, according to Russian law, people with disabilities cannot be detained for more than three hours. “I have always been opposing the arbitrariness of law enforcement and what happened that day reinforced my conviction even more,” Gliuz says.
Journal: New Eastern Europe
- Issue Year: 2021
- Issue No: 03 (46)
- Page Range: 51-56
- Page Count: 6
- Language: English
- Content File-PDF