Alexei Navalny has been placed in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center in quarantine, where he will stay for two weeks. Now he is alone in a triple cell. POC spokesman Aleksey Melnikov said that the oppositionist's cell has a refrigerator, an electric kettle, a TV set and hot water. Also, Navalny was given bedding and hygiene items. The oppositionist told the POC commission that he was glad to be back in his homeland. The Rucriminal.info correspondent managed to communicate with the accused in a high-profile case, which relatively recently came out of the special block of Matrosskaya Tishina. He told in detail what he had to face in this detention center and what awaits Alexei Navalny.
“It should start with the fact that this is probably the smallest pre-trial detention center in Russia. From the moment I got there, they took me into a room, took away all the things that I had with me, despite the fact that I was traveling from another pre-trial detention center in St. Petersburg and I had few things with me: panties, socks, T-shirts, spoons and mugs. I was told that I can take only a minimum into my cell, the rest of my belongings are confiscated and placed in a warehouse for storage. If later something is needed, the issue is resolved exclusively through the head of the pre-trial detention center. A separate issue is with razor blades, they are also taken away, given out once a week upon application. By analogy with other pre-trial detention centers, no items can be stored under the bed.
In the pre-trial detention center, prisoners are taken separately, that is, meetings are excluded even in the corridors with other prisoners. When they lead somewhere, they knock on doors, railings, staircases, etc. with iron keys from the cameras so that everyone can hear that someone is being led.
In the entire pre-trial detention center, there are many small rooms, like a closet, and if suddenly someone meets with someone, then one person is promptly locked into this room until the second passes. By the way, they are closed there, for a walk, if you don't want to walk.
The walk on the roof, again, leads the inhabitants to one cell without meeting with other prisoners. On the roof there are courtyards with huge walls through which it is natural not to look through, the ceiling is under the grate, everywhere there are video cameras in the corners. Walk an hour. The walking time changes every day for 15 minutes usually warned by knocking on the door. Sometimes we asked to take a walk later, for example, when we were taken out at 8 am, as a rule, we went to a meeting. During the walk, the radio plays quite loudly, different from Christian to Europe plus.
The cells are large, there is a separate bed for each person and, in general, all standards are strictly monitored there, including square meters per person, after all, an "elite pre-trial detention center" to which a lot of attention is riveted. All cells have large windows, but frosted glass and three layers of lattice, one on the side of the camera, between the window and the farthest one from the camera on the street, this lattice is under the sensors, if you touch the alarm, but it is difficult to touch, the window does not open for the whole , but only a small crack. In the cells of the equipment, a refrigerator, a TV set and an electric kettle are allowed to watch until 00.15. The toilet is fenced off by an incomplete wall, there is also a sink.
Rucriminal.info yesterday cited the story of a prisoner who was punished for making a wrong bed. I personally have not come across this. Everyone did not care, you could lie on the beds 24/7. Often during the check-up at 6 in the morning, we were still asleep, they came to our cell, the duty officer reported and we slept further. They didn't chase the bed.
Once every two weeks, books are brought from the library, in general there is something to read.
Food. This is a separate horror. Every morning they give a loaf of bread, while the bread is unbaked, and half-baked, it is impossible to eat at all, we often did not take it. The main thing is potatoes in the form of a half-soup, cabbage and fish, the most important thing is Bromine is added to food so that the men do not have potency. Then for a long time you have to remove it from the body. I practically did not eat prison food, rescued or parcels of my own or inmates.
Shower - once a week on Saturday or Sunday 15 minutes. I didn't have time, but again everything depends on the shift, they turn off the water, and if the shift is normal, then you can wash for an hour. The premises are so-so, many have no watering cans and just a stream of water.
For meetings with lawyers, there are ordinary offices, cameras are in the corner. I don't know about audio recording. There is an office with video communication for participating in the courts remotely.
Appointments in the basement through the window and the telephone receiver.
Naturally, there is no connection, the phones cannot be brought in, all that was left was to use the FSIN by letter or through a lawyer, although sometimes letters were taken from lawyers.
When I left there they took away my notebook with the contacts of my cellmates. "
To be continued
Roman Trushkin