*[Enwl-eng] [EWNC] Russia stalling on investigation of assault onAndrey Rudomakha

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ENVIRONMENTAL WATCH ON NORTH CAUCASUS (EWNC)

<June 28, 2018>

 

RUSSIA STALLING ON INVESTIGATION OF ASSAULT ON ANDREI RUDOMAKHA

 

Six months later, Krasnodar region police wants to close the case

 

Today marks six months since the brutal attack on Environmental Watch on North Caucasus coordinator Andrei Rudomakha and his colleagues. On December 28, 2017, they returned to Krasnodar after an environmental inspection of construction of a new Black Sea residence for an unidentified official in Krinitsa village near Gelendzhik. As a result of the assault, Andrei Rudomakha suffered serious damage including multiple fractures of the skull, concussion and chemical burns to his eyes. His teeth were knocked out. Information about this violent crime was widely publicised and police launched a probe the next day, assuring our organization that it would be given high priority. However, after half a year, it is clear that their assurances were not given in good conscience: nobody truly looked for the criminals and has no intention of doing so. Right now the police is trying to close the criminal case.

From the beginning it was clear that the attack is directly related to the environmental inspection the activists had participated in that day. The construction of a secret residence – a wine chateau – is illegal because it is done without proper documentation on forest lands where building is strictly forbidden. The project is overseen by the company AO Aksis Investitsii (Axis Investments). This company is associated with a well-known St. Petersburg businessman and lawyer Nikolai Yegorov, who is a close friend of President Vladimir Putin. According to rumors among locals near the construction site, which have not been yet confirmed, the residence is actually being erected for Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, also associated with Yegorov. Security of the site is overseen by the Federal Guard Service (FSO), a government agency providing security to top officials and government buildings. Links between the FSO and the construction project has been recently investigated by Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

All circumstances of the attack on Andrei Rudomakha indicate that it was orchestrated by the security services, specifically by the Krasnodar region’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The way the investigation was handled makes it clear that investigators did everything possible to shield the criminals rather than catch them.

Currently, the investigation of the case is formally handled by the Main Investigative Directorate of the Krasnodar region police, where it was sent from the Krasnodar city police. However, despite the fact that the case was elevated to a higher level, the investigative work on it practically stopped. Investigator Alexei Shulga has not even called Andrei Rudomakha in for questioning since he received the case three months ago. At the end of May he halted the preliminary investigation of the case due to “failure to identify” the assailants. This despite the fact that the assailants were caught on video cameras, left fingerprints and cigarette butts, made phone calls from the scene of the crime. All of these details usually result in arrest of the criminals soon after the crime is committed.

“Clearly, the motive behind the assault has to do with the construction of the residence in Krinitsa, but police has failed to look into this,” Andrei Rudomakha said. “Somebody high in the government is blocking the investigation into the assault on me and my colleagues.”

 

Information of EWNC

 

From: ЭВСК, Пресс-служба

Sent: Thursday, June 28, 2018 9:37 PM

Subject: [EWNC] Russia stalling on investigation of assault on Andrey Rudomakha

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