Moscow, action for anarchist political prison

Autonomous Action, Rainbow Keepers and their supporters demonstrated 28th of May in headquarters of administration of Gosnarkokontrol in Moscow (Maroseyka street 12), demanding freedom for Aleksei Cherepanov, anarchist journalist who has been illegally detained in Krasnodar since 12th of May, and was released for 3 days only last week-end.
5.10 PM about 25 activists gathered around the building and blocked the gate with a bike lock, hanging a placate "Gosnarkokontrol is closed" over door plate. Demonstrators had banners and placates "Free Aleksei Cherepanov", "Gosnarkokartel", "FSB fitted up Cherepanov" and also a placate demonstrating a sewed up pocket, to remind everyone about one way how one may protect oneself from having drugs planted on him.

All of the participators had plenty of fresh grass in their pockets - this was seized and put to a big bag, which was thrown over the gate of Gosnarkokontrol - for officers to make a criminal expertise on it, or to smoke it (which would make them pretty ill), or whatever. This way Gosnarkokartel was symbolically given back the dope they are throwing around to people's pockets and homes.

About five minutes later security, armed with submachineguns attacked participators of the action (not shooting). Soon both uniformed and plain clothes coppers appeared, organising a counter-demonstration not loosing in vitality to the original one.
Placates were confiscated, 4 participators pulled over (two of the could escape later on), rest of the crowd was pushed to other side of the road.

7 persons were arrested, four of them were from press. Only person brutalised was a photographer from "Solidarity"-paper of pro-governement FNPR trade union. Moscow police has a strategy of treating press covering non-legalised actions with a hard hand, for example last December in a radical ecologist action all press covering action got their equipment confiscated and some journalists were also beaten up, back then police openly announced that only actions allowed by governement should be covered.

Most of the cameras got destroyed, photos in indymedia are about only ones which are left. One digital videocamera was de-arrested twice, two persons who hold it in their turn were less lucky and ended up to the station.

Four arrested journalists were released the same evening, three other persons were taken to court the next day but the session was passed until next Tuesday. They face misdemeanor charges of "participating to an illegal assembly" and "minor hooliganism" which will be sanctioned with either fine or few days in jail. Minor charges and passing the court date were a big humiliation for Gosnarkokontrol, whose enraged officials kept calling to police station of Basmannoe whole evening, demanding "any felony charges you just may put on them".

Text of the leaflet distributed in action:

FSB FITTED UP CHEREPANOV?

GOSNARKOKONTROL PLANTS DRUGS. KRASNODAR
JOURNALIST ALEKSEI CHEREPANOV IS ON REMAND.

24th of May Krasnodar administration of Gosnarkokontrol arrested Aleksei Cherepanov, journalist and anti-fascist who came for an interrogation. He is accused with statue 228, chapter one of Criminal codex of Russian Federation ("Illegal acquiring or stocking of large amounts of drugs without an intetion to trade" .
Interrogators of Gosnarkokontrol asked several times Aleksei and his wife about anarchist press, which was found in their room during a search. No Aleksei, nor his wife has ever used drugs, and never stored drugs in their room. There is no doubt, that planting of drugs and arrest for 9 days in prison for remand are connected to political activities of Cherepanov.

Feature articles on Aleksei Cherepanov:
www.russia.indymedia.org
www.avtonom.org

Phone numbers to call in Krasnodar:

Administration of Gosnarkokontrol of Russian Federation in
Krasnodar area: +7-8612-62-08-90 Prosecutor's office of central
administrative area of Krasnodar: +7-8612-68-41-44

Federal contacts of Gosnarkokontrol:  info@gnk.gov.ru

On-call duty: +7 095 921-02-35, +7 095 928-79-91 (24 h)

Reception: +7 095 921-43-09, fax: +7 095 928-02-08

Hotline (phone/fax): +7 095 921-43-91

Public relations: +7 095 206-90-61 fax: +7 095 921-28-22
E-mail:  pr@gnk.gov.ru

About Aleksei:

Aleksei Cherepanov, born 1979, finished journalist faculty of K.V.
Rossinsky institute of Krasnodar in January of 2004. He has written for dailies and journals Chelovek truda (of Kuban official trade unions), Otkrytiy mir, Nasha Kuban, MK na Kubany and other regional papers. In some of his articles he was attacking persecution of illegal immigrants in Krasnodar area. In 1998 Aleksei was chair of local section of Anti-fascist Youth Action (AMD) in the city of Primorsko-Axtarsk of Krasnodar area, back then he initiated a campaign against activities of fascist RNE (Russian National Unity) party in his city. Since 1999 Aleksei has participated to activities of anarchist movement, and currently he is a member of Autonomous Action. He helped with publication of journal Avtonom and participated to organisation of many
actions and campaigns.

Photographs:
 http://russia.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=9174&group=webcast

Video:
 http://russia.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=9191&group=webcast