By Anna Kim
Artyom Kamardin inhales, desperately trying to remain calm as Russian police officers try to break through his apartment door. There are three people in the apartment: Kamardin, his girlfriend Alexandra Popova, and Alexander Menyukov. Popova is the one to finally open the door, and Russian special forces burst into the apartment, all armed with machine guns. No search warrant and no explanation are given, but all three know the reason for this visit.
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On September 25th, activist Artyom Kamardin read poetry at a public square in Moscow, Russia. He said, “…Freedom for Russia, peace for Ukraine!” before reading his poem which criticized the war.
The very next day, Russian police arrived at Kamardin’s apartment. There he, his girlfriend, and friend were beaten and arrested. Alexandra Popova was diagnosed with head injuries and said that she was physically and verbally assaulted. Police officers had superglued stickers to her face, pulled her hair, threatened her with gang rape, and forced her to watch a video of her boyfriend being raped. Alexander Menyukov was beaten and questioned while Kamardin was beaten and raped. The whole group was searched.
Menyukov said, “…I did hear what happened to Artem. It was impossible not to hear. A lot of media outlets wrote that Artem was raped in the police department. That’s not true – it happened in our apartment.”
The three were eventually taken to the Investigative Committee, where Kamardin went into hearing severely beaten and in blood-stained clothes. He had said that he was tortured into an apology. Kamardin is suspected to be charged with “inciting hatred with the threat of violence” and it was determined the police “had done nothing wrong”. No investigation was made into any medical treatment, and as of October 20, no forensic medical exam has been set up. Popova and Menyukov were released early in the morning but did not seek recommended hospitalization in hopes they could help Kamardin. Kamardin remains in custody at the Butyrka pre-trial prison.
Kamardin’s is one of many of Russia’s police violence and abuse cases that occur against peaceful protesters, anti-war activists a major target. In all these cases, abusers are rarely punished and continue to live with no consequences. Russia must be held responsible for the many human rights violations and war crimes it has committed, bringing justice to people like Artyom Kamardin.
Sources:
“‘It was impossible not to hear’ Poet Artem Kamardin was reportedly beaten and raped by Russian police. We spoke to his roommate.” Meduza. Published September 27, 2022. Accessed on October 21, 2022. https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/09/28/it-was-impossible-not-to-hear
“Russian Poet Hospitalized, Charged After Reciting Verses Critical of Ukraine Invasion.” Current Time. Published September 27, 2022. Accessed on October 21, 2022. https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-poet-arrested-beaten-ukraine-war/32054624.html
“Russia: Activist allegedly beaten and raped for reciting anti-war poem online.” Amnesty International. Published September 27, 2022. Accessed on October 21, 2022. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/russia-activist-allegedly-beaten-and-raped-for-reciting-anti-war-poem-online/
Lokmutov, Aleksandr. “Russian Police and Torturing Anti-War Activists.” Human Rights Watch. Published October 20, 2022. Accessed on October 21, 2022. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/20/russian-police-are-torturing-anti-war-activists
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