Press Release, 08/31/2014

YABLOKO leader Sergei Mitrokhin said that the decision of the interior of the Pskov region to file a criminal case on the attack on YABLOKO’s Lev under “hooliganism” represented a “mockery” of an investigation.

The criminal case falls under Article 277 of the Criminal Code “Infringement on life of a state or public figure”. In this case, the preliminary investigation, in accordance with the law, should be conducted by the investigators from the Investigative Committee of Russian and the Federal Security Service. Article 115 (on hooliganism) does not envisage any preliminary investigation and stipulates for a simplified form – an inquiry. Normally such cases are given to local district policemen.

“The law enforcement had no reason to speak about hooligans. The bastards tracked Shlosberg by his house, attacked him without saying a word to him. After the first strike Lev Shlobserg lost consciousness, and they had been beating him for a few more minutes. The perpetrators fled away only when they saw that there are witnesses. And what if there were no witnesses? And we are told that the main version is hooliganism,” Sergei Mitrokhin said.

“Such actions of the law enforcement mean that they are not going to really investigate the case,” he added.

On Monday morning Sergei Mitrokhin sent addresses and inquiries to the investigative authorities demanding to reclassify the criminal case into “infringement on life of a state or public figure”.

The attack on Lev Shlosberg took place late on 29 August. Lev Shlosberg is in the hospital, and there is no threat to his life now. The attackers have not been identified. YABLOKO activists connect the attack with Shlosberg’s investigation into the death of the Pskov paratroopers on the territory of Ukraine.