Press Release , 10/18/2013

The Kemerovo Regional Department of the Investigative Committee conducts an investigation into the incident in Kemerovo, when Yevgeny Artemyev, YABLOKO’s candidate to the Council of People’s Deputies of the Kemerovo Region from the YABLOKO party, was severely beaten.

“It is important so that the situation does not end simply with a reprimand or a dismissal of a police officer. We demand that the Investigative Committee should not drag on the pre-investigation check and immediately open a case, as the situation absolutely clear,” said YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin.

The photo shows a man in civilian clothing beating Artemyev

Earlier, the Kemerovo Regional Council of YABLOKO at its extraordinary meeting adopted a decision in favour of Artemyev. YABLOKO members connect the beating of Artemyev with his political activities and demand that the Interior Ministry, the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor General should investigate the case. All the materials on the beating will be sent to Moscow. In addition, information about the attack will be sent to the Administration of the President.

On October 16 Yevgeny Artemyev was beaten in Kemerovo during picketing against election fraud. Artemyev wrote an application addressed to the Head of the Investigative Committee Department of the Kemerovo region demanding to investigate the beating and bring the assaulter to justice.

“I was approached by a police captain, however, he did not introduce himself and began reading the placard. Then he cried out to the man in civilian clothes, “This is the one!” After that, the man in civilian clothes came up to me, began beating me on the face and tearing the placard, but the policeman stepped aside. All the time the policeman stood by and took no action to stop the beating,” Artemyev said.

Yevgeny Artemyev planned a hunger strike because of unfair elections. For this reason, he went to the square with a placard which ran about violation of his rights as a candidate. The incident of the beating was video recorded, the video also shows the inaction of the police. Artemyev was diagnosed concussion of the brain by doctors.