Iron bars in the anus, rape threats… Russian police “atrocious torture of anti-war activists”. | FRIDAY DIGITAL

Iron bars in the anus, rape threats… Russian police “atrocious torture of anti-war activists”.

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People against the government being detained by Russian police (Image: Reuters/Afro)

I apologize to all Russians. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. ……. I will repent.”

Kneeling with his hands tied behind his body, the man apologized to the camera. His face was covered in bruises. The man looked exhausted and nodded his head.

On September 26, Russian police raided an apartment in Moscow and arrested anti-war activist and poet Artem Kamarudin. The day before, Kamarudin had held a poetry reading in Triumphalnaya Square in central Moscow in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine. He was taken away by the police for what they considered an act of treason against the state.

According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, an independent Russian media outlet, Mr. Kamarudin was subjected to inhumane torture: five police officers repeatedly beat and kicked him and thrust an iron rod into his anus. They also filmed Kamarudin apologizing, saying that the reading session was a mistake, and uploaded the video to the social networking site Telegram.

Mr. Kamarudin was not the only one who was assaulted. His girlfriend, Alexandra Popova, was also threatened by the police, who asked her if she too wanted to be raped with an iron rod. She was reportedly glued to her lips, grabbed by the hair, and kicked multiple times. About 87,000 yen in cash in her apartment was also taken by police. Anti-activists have been protesting on Twitter and other media, saying, ‘We will not tolerate torture of our comrades by those in power,'” said a reporter from the international section of a national newspaper.

More than 2,000 detained in 38 cities

The Russian authorities are tightening their grip on anti-war activities by the day. According to the human rights organization OVD Info, more than 2,000 citizens who participated in anti-war demonstrations and other activities were detained in 38 cities. They are said to be using severe torture and assault. Itsuro Nakamura, professor emeritus at Tsukuba University and an expert on the situation in Russia, explains.

The brutal disregard for human rights is continuing. In some cases, they are given no room for rebuttal and suddenly receive electric shocks, causing them to faint. In some cases, as an example, they are given warrants for partial mobilization into the military.

One would think that sending people critical of the conflict with Ukraine to the front lines would not boost the morale of the military. But the shortage of soldiers in the Russian army is so severe that they have to be promoted. There is no command at all. I have heard that even those who have died sometimes receive call-up orders. The authorities are in such disarray that citizens are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with President Putin.

Russia is on the defensive in the face of Ukraine’s reversal of its offensive. Russia is on the defensive in the face of Ukraine’s reversal, and the pushback from its citizens is spiraling out of control.

  • Photo. Reuters/Afro

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