Among the horrors of August 9-14, 2020, the most nightmarish events took place at the Center for the Isolation of Offenders (CIP) on Okrestina Street. Over the course of five days, security forces "processed" more than 3,000 detainees through the CIP, a facility designed to hold only 110 people. Among them were minors, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and random passersby.
All detainees were subjected to humiliating procedures, brutal beatings, and inhumane conditions-held in overcrowded cells without food or water for two or more days. Any attempt to inquire about their legal status, demand their rights, or request medical assistance was met with violence. Both CIP staff and riot police (OMON) participated in these beatings.
Here is what witnesses reported:
"The worst thing was waking up at one in the morning to the screams of people. Men were being beaten so severely with batons that I could hear their bones cracking. The screams were so horrifying, it felt like people were being burned alive. Grown men were shouting: 'Mom! Help! Save us!'"
"One female officer said, 'Mount these guys on your batons.' It was a deliberate attack on people. They were as aggressive as possible: 'How much are they paying you?', 'You animal!', 'We'll kill all of you here!'"
"They turned me into a wheel-threw my arms and legs behind my back like a wheel and put handcuffs on me. I lasted 30-40 minutes. Then I lost consciousness. I had to give them the passcode to my phone. The scariest thing was that it contained personal data of my loved ones."
We analyzed 101 testimonies-over 1,000 pages of documentation. Each witness was personally at Okrestina between August 9 and 14 and endured this nightmare. Based on their accounts, we conducted a public investigation-reconstructing the chronology of events, identifying the security officers responsible for these crimes, and providing a legal assessment of their actions.
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