On 25 September at a public square in Moscow, Artyom Kamardin participated in a poetry reading to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine. Kamardin, 32, began by saying: “Don’t follow illegal orders [to take part in the invasion] … Freedom for Russia, peace for Ukraine!” He then read his poem, which criticised the war. The police response was swift, brutal and demonstrative. It was also consistent with other police abuse against people who publicly object to Russia’s war.
That night, police arrested five people who had allegedly been at the reading. The next day, police raided Kamardin’s home, with a camera crew tagging along, filming on their phones. The police beat the three people they found in the apartment, including Kamardin’s girlfriend. They threatened to rape her, superglued stickers to her face, and showed her videos of officers beating Kamardin in the next room.
A video quickly appeared on social media, showing Kamardin – his eyes half closed, visibly beaten, with fresh cuts on his face, handcuffed, on his knees – apologising for his poetry and promising never to participate in political activities again.
