Repression after Duma election | Arrests in Russia: “Dmitry wanted to publicly debate the election results”

Left-wing activist Dmitry Morozov was arrested in Izhevsk for alleged drug possession. He is said to have been tortured during his arrest. Photo: Telegram/morozov_socialist Your partner Dmitrij Morozov has been politically active for years. Why do you think he was arrested now?

The most obvious explanation is that after the Duma elections, Dmitry tried to publicly debate the election results. The city administration had banned a protest demonstration on the grounds that construction work was taking place at the designated location. Dmitrij then went to court to force the authorities to provide an alternative venue. He insisted in advance that if he was unsuccessful in court, there should be no call to take part in the rally. It was all legal.

In the 2021 Duma elections, he took part in the election campaign for the KPRF's left-wing candidate Mikhail Lobanov for a direct mandate in Moscow. What has your partner been involved in recently?

He has been committed to environmental issues, both professionally and voluntarily. In recent years he has also been involved in numerous projects to support children with autism, has been involved in amateur sports and supported a number of initiatives in Udmurtia involving the use of artificial intelligence in education. He only worked with foundations that are not listed as foreign agents.

Dmitry Morozov has been described in some media as a democratic socialist. Would you agree to that?

He describes himself as a Marxist with democratic-socialist views who advocates an overarching left-wing coalition. As a leftist, he associates with various political forces, including the KPRF. Although he is not a party member, many MPs advocate for him, particularly through requests on their behalf. Your full support also goes to the recently arrested former KPRF deputy Oleg Mikhailov.

The 27-year-old left-wing activist Dmitry Morozov has been in custody in Izhevsk since the beginning of October. He is accused of possessing 0.38 grams of the narcotic mephedrone, which carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison. The trial is expected to begin in early December. A verdict could come before the New Year. Darja Bagina, his partner and active member of the Communist Party KPRF, talks about the background to the trial and the prison conditions.

They at least make it clear that he is receiving support from Moscow, which could improve his situation somewhat.

Are you currently in contact with your husband?

Since we are not officially married, we only communicate by letter. By default, letters are delivered to the detention center within one day. Dmitry is currently recovering from physical abuse during his arrest. He remains optimistic and calls on everyone to stick together and not give up. So he's doing well under the circumstances. At the same time, pressure is being exerted on him, not from prison staff, but from those who sent him 13 kilograms of salt.

Yes, salt is slang for drugs. It can be assumed that the same security services that arrested him are behind this. Political prisoners now often receive packages with unusable contents in order to exhaust the limit of permitted food deliveries. This is pure harassment. We still managed to give him everything he needed.

You say - even publicly - that your partner was tortured after his arrest. What exactly happened?

When he was arrested, Dmitry was tortured with electric shocks and hung with his legs handcuffed by masked men. It is possible that he did not tell his lawyer anything at first or that the lawyer did not want to shock the relatives despite knowing about the torture. His parents have now taken legal action against the security forces involved in the arrest. They make up the excuse that Dmitrij allegedly sustained his injuries in a fall before he was arrested.

Is it true that violence was used to get Morozov to confess to ties to Ukrainian organizations and that drugs were given to him after his refusal?

It seems to me that this is a new trend. September and October saw a record number of new allegations of treason and terrorist and extremist financing. But Dmitry did nothing of the sort and there is no evidence against him. That's why the authorities proceeded in the same way as they had done shortly before with the Moscow political scientist Alexander Kynev.

Morozov was arrested by the FSB in Izhevsk. Did the initiative come from the local department?

Yes, that was suggested to me. Dmitrij only went to Izhevsk as part of his distance learning course and to look after his grandmother there.

Was there public response to his arrest?

Some young people held placards in the central square in Izhevsk demanding his release. No money was taken from Dmitrij's father when he ordered coffee in a canteen. People have no doubt that this is a political matter. Incidentally, his cellmates have given him the nickname Bolshevik and are campaigning for him. I am very grateful to them for that.

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