The sibling of the individual fatally hit by a vehicle was unlawfully held for 48 hours because of an “extremist” display image.
In the Sverdlovsk area, the brother of a man who died after being hit by a car was requested to visit the precinct to provide a character statement, but was eventually kept for two days due to a law enforcement report concerning extremism.
Oleg Melnichenko told Vecherniye Vedomosti that earlier this week a nearby cop contacted him and asked him to come to the station to deliver a statement on the passing of his brother Stanislav, who was fatally injured in August by the vehicle driven by Anton Safronov, the Deputy Minister of Ecology of the Sverdlovsk Region.
Oleg was pursuing an unbiased probe into the matter (he had created multiple appeals to Bastrykin) and thus proceeded to the Berezovsky police building. Once there, authorities accused the man of possessing a Telegram profile showcasing a “Celtic cross” as its display picture.
The display image was considered an “exhibition of extremist symbols,” and Oleg received charges and was detained for 48 hours awaiting trial. Melnichenko maintains he does not have a Telegram account, and he was accused of displaying the “Novgorod Cross,” which bears no connection to the insignia of the Third Reich. Throughout this period, he received no sustenance, and a police officer only extended an offer of tea on one occasion.
Oleg made multiple ambulance calls on account of declining health. During this time, his mother and legal representative looked for him: law enforcement officers informed them that Melnichenko was not at the precinct. However, the falsehood came to light when the man was escorted from his holding cell to the lavatory, affording his mother the chance to glimpse her son. Melnichenko was then let go from the precinct, and the report was not presented to the court.
