Human rights activist about Davydova's crime of high treason: On what legal grounds FSB bugged the Embassy of Ukraine?
Zoya Svetova: During the house-search the diary was seized, where allegedly were records of Svetlana Davydova's negative attitude towards the war in Ukraine and the possible transfer of troops from the territory of Russia
Svetlana Davydova, the mother of many children is being kept in Lefortovo prison in Moscow for the second consecutive week. She was accused of treason in favor of Ukraine. In an interview with "Gordon" Russian human rights activist Zoe Svetova, who visited Davydova in the prison, told how the Russian authorities tried to get from the imprisoned the "necessary" evidence and "to let down the case quietly."
By Natalia DVALI
Early in the morning of January 21, 2015 in an apartment on the outskirts of the city of Vyazma (Smolensk region, Russia) the doorbell rang. Local police officer came with a complaint from neighbors about noise. The door was opened by Anatoly Gorlov – the head of the family, where seven children grow (the youngest is only 2.5 months). Instead of the district police officer, the men in black with guns broke into the apartment. They turned out to be officers of the Federal Security Service of Russia (FSB), who came to arrest his wife Svetlana Gorlova on suspicion of treason in favor of Ukraine. The next day the court chose a pre-trial restriction in the form of two months remand in custody in detention centers of "Lefortovo" in Moscow.
According to the FSB, in April 2014 a 37-year-old housewife Svetlana Davydova called the Embassy of Ukraine and said that the soldiers of the military unit 48886 (which can be seen from the windows of her apartment) went on a business trip to Donetsk. Arrest of the mother of many children caused a storm of indignation in the Russian social networks, the Internet began collecting signatures on a petition "to change the measure of restraint for resident of the town of Vyazma, mother of seven children Svetlana Davydova." One of the first who visited detained woman in jail, was a human rights activist, a member of the Public Oversight Commission of the Russian Federation and the mother of famous Russian journalists Philip (magazine The New Times), Timothy (magazine Forbes) and Tikhon Dzyadko (TV channel "Rain") Zoya Svetova.
After meeting with Davydova in "Lefortovo" Svetova wrote an article where she showed a dialogue with the detainee: "We can not talk about the criminal case, or about her beliefs - only about the conditions of detention and abuse of her rights. I asked:" Did they pressure you? Did they beat you? ".
- No, really, they are smart people.
- Do you still have breast milk?
- Yes. I pump it out here in the prison ward. "
"Gordon" phoned Zoe Svetova to find out the fate of the mother of a big family, accused by the authorities of the Russian Federation in treason in favor of Ukraine.
Svetlana Davydova and Anatoly Gorlov are raising seven children (four joint and three from the first Anatoly's marriage) - 14-year-old Olga, seven-year-old Sveta and Natasha, five-year Arthur and Spartacus, the three-year old Edward. The youngest girl Cassandra is only 2.5 months. Photo: Anatoly Gorlov / Facebook
The changes were made in criminal article about "treason". Now absolutely any citizen of the Russian Federation can be brought to justice - a journalist, a housewife or a janitor
- Was there anyone else in Russia arrested for treason since the beginning of the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, except Svetlana Davydova?
- I don't know. The 73-year-old director of defense plant "Znamia" Yuri Soloshenko is also in Lefortovo prison, he seems to be accused of spying for Ukraine. The same case has 32-year-old citizen of Ukraine Valentin Vygovskyy. There are practically no information at all about his case. Both Soloshenko and Vygovskoy has lawyers provided by the FSB.
But Davydova is accused not in spying but in the crime of high treason. Note, Svetlana, according to the investigation, called the Ukrainian embassy almost a year ago - in April 2014, but the case was only opened in January 2015. So the mother of many children was especially given the opportunity to give a birth to a baby, to begin to feed it, and only then was arrested to be forced to give "necessary" evidence.
- How long is Svetlana facing?
- Article 275 of the Criminal Code "High Treason" provides from 12 to 20 years. Davydova allegedly called the Embassy of Ukraine and said that Russian troops were sent to your state.
The changes were made in 2012 in the law on "High Treason". Now, this article can bring to the justice absolutely any citizen of the Russian Federation - a journalist, a housewife, janitor, even if they do not have access to state secrets, but when communicating with foreigners, said to them, for example, that Ukraine can fight Russian soldiers.
- The Kremlin clearly states: "There are no Russian military in Ukraine." So logically, Davydova with her call simply misinformed the foreign embassy. So where is the treason?
- For me it is also strange. Immediately after the detention Svetlana was provided with a free lawyer from the state Stebenev Andrey. He suddenly said that the case was grounded on something. People call me and say that it is a travesty of justice. "No. There is information, there are facts, it is reasonable."
Stebenev refers to "the examination of the General Staff of the Russian Federation", which states that Svetlana allegedly issued a state secret, saying that the Russian military are going to cross the border of Ukraine. Of course, with such statements experts of the General Staff confirmed that Russian troops are actually fighting in the Donbas.