Russian Activist Razvozzhayev's Plea Denied

Russian activist Leonid Razvozzhayev's plea to cancel a lower court's decision to keep him in pre-trial custody was rejected last week, according to Voice of America. He is currently being held in Moscow. Razvozzhayev is a member of the radical leftist party Left Front that has taken part in anti-governmental protests since last year. He is also one of the three men portrayed in the "documentary" that aired on the pro-Kremlin NTV in October. Entitled "Anatomy of the Protest-2 "accuses him and other colleagues of "meeting with politicians from neighboring Georgia to discuss funding subversive activities in Russia."

In an official statement entitled "The Regime Has Crossed the Red Line" our partner NGO For Human Rights stated " even if all the words said by the participants of the meeting shown in the film “Anatomy of the Protest-2” are true, there is absolutely no legal grounds for the prosecution of the accused people.

According to Razvozzhayev, he arrived in the Moscow prison by being kidnapped, tortured and forced to confess.

He states that on  October 24, 2012, after leaving the UNHCR office in Kiev where he was seeking asylum, he was kidnapped, forced into a van and handcuffed by his wrists and ankles, which were linked together. His eyes were also covered. After five hours, he was handed over to a different set of men who imprisoned him in a basement for multiple days without any food, water or access to a bathroom.

In an interview, Razvozzhayev said, "“They told me, ‘If you don’t answer our questions, your children will be killed.’ They said that legally I didn't exist, and anything could happen to me.”

He was brought to Moscow after signing the confession.

According to Russia's Investigative Committee, Razvozzhayev turned himself in voluntarily.