An artist from Rostov has been subjected to ‘carousel detentions’ since February. He has reported being tortured.

Victor Kirman, a 63-year-old artist from Rostov-on-Don, has been arrested nine times for administrative offences on various pretexts since February.

The artist was detained on 26 February. Law enforcement officers conducted a search at his home and confiscated all technology (phones, computers, and data storage devices) and documents. His wife had her passport and housing documents taken. The artist’s daughter, Nelli Kirman, said the officers did not provide any paperwork confirming the seizure of these items.

The next day, the Oktyabrsky District Court of Rostov-on-Don sentenced Kirman to 10 days under the article for disobeying police orders (part 1, article 19.3 of the Administrative Offences Code). The ruling states that Public Order Police officers asked him for his passport, but the artist refused and tried to flee from them. In court, Kirman denied the charges and said he could not have run away because he has difficulty walking due to problems with his sciatic nerve. He also said he “did not talk back” to the police and presented his documents when first asked.

He was then arrested three more times under protocols for disobeying police, allegedly for repeatedly refusing to show his passport. Two rulings were issued by different courts in Rostov-on-Don (Pervomaysky and Proletarsky), and another by the court in the city of Aksay.

The next four rulings were handed down by the Novocherkassk City Court—in all cases, Kirman was found guilty of petty hooliganism (article 20.1 of the Administrative Offences Code). Each time, police claimed he had used obscene language in public. At one hearing, the artist said he had been detained and taken to the police station immediately after his previous arrest ended, and that the case evidence had been falsified.

Most recently, Kirman was arrested on 17 May. The Kirovsky District Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced him to 10 days for disobeying the police.

Nelli Kirman says her father was secretly transferred between cities and his lawyer was not notified of court hearings. During his detention, the artist’s health declined and he developed inflammation of his jaw and teeth.

Kirman managed to inform his family about being tortured. He said that during interrogations he was beaten, doused with water to simulate drowning, and subjected to electric shocks.

It is unclear what exactly the authorities are trying to accuse Kirman of. At first, they questioned him about some posts and articles found on his computer. “The investigation is trying to interpret these private texts as some kind of ‘anti-government activity,’” his daughter said. Later, they started insisting he sign certain documents, but Kirman refused. His daughter suspects he is being pressured to sign statements implicating others.

Nelli Kirman also says the authorities are trying to use her father’s Ukrainian heritage “as a pretext to create the image of an ‘enemy.’”

“In 80 days, not a single criminal charge has been brought against him. This confirms there is no real evidence of any wrongdoing. Officers are using a ‘carousel of arrests’ to break a person morally and physically in conditions of total isolation,” she adds.

Kirman’s daughter says he devoted most of his life to teaching, culture and creativity: “He actively developed art and culture in Rostov and beyond, worked to revive pottery, design, landscape art and interior projects. Teaching played a special role in his life. Viktor worked in an art studio, encouraging children’s creativity. His work was always constructive and humane.”

Nelli Kirman adds that in recent years her father had been studying his family’s history and roots, and engaging in research and literary work:

“He never engaged in public political activity, and his personal notes and correspondence were merely a way for him to make sense of what was happening and to express himself creatively. His artistic work and activities have never posed a threat to society but, on the contrary, are proof of his inner richness, humanity, and positive contribution.”

• Victor Kirman is a member of the Union of Artists of Russia and the International Association of Art at UNESCO. He works in painting, ceramics, restoration, and interior design.
• Kirman graduated from the Arts and Graphics Department of Rostov Pedagogical University, and later taught at the Department of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design at the Southern Federal University. He also runs a studio in Rostov-on-Don, where he held painting workshops for adults and children.
• The artist is originally from Kirovohrad region and has lived and worked at various times in both Russia and Ukraine. He restored exhibits for museums in both countries.
• In the 2010s, with support from the Rostov Regional Ukrainian National Cultural Autonomy, Kirman and his daughter organised exhibitions in cities in Luhansk and Donetsk regions. In 2015, Nelli Kirman held an anti-war exhibition of her works in Rostov-on-Don. She now lives and continues her artistic work in Ukraine.