Dmitry Morozov, an activist from Izhevsk (a city in the Urals), has been sent to a pre-trial detention centre in connection with a drugs case.

The Pervomaisky Court in Izhevsk, a city in the Urals, has sent activist Dmitry Morozov to a pre-trial detention centre for two months in a case concerning possession of drugs in large quantities (Part 2, Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code), reports RusNews.

According to the prosecution, Morozov kept 0.38 grams of mephedrone at home, which was found in a dark bundle. At the hearing, the prosecutor also stated that the investigators supposedly have information about the activist’s alleged involvement in “the activities of a Ukrainian armed group,” reports “Kommersant-Udmurtia.”

• Morozov was detained on the evening of 2 October when he went out to the shop. The next day, FSB officers brought him home and carried out a search there. According to his partner, Darya Bagina, security officers said they had found drugs in a cupboard in Morozov’s room, and also seized computer equipment. Bagina believes the drugs did not belong to him: the activist had come to his parents’ home to help care for his seriously ill grandmother.
• During the search, Morozov’s father, Valery Tsarenko, noticed scratches on his son’s face and swollen hands. He assumed the swelling was due to the handcuffs that Morozov had been kept in all night. At that time, the security officers told the family that the activist was being accused of connections to a banned organisation. The family only learned about the drugs case later.
• After the search, Morozov was taken away again, and for some time, family and lawyers were not informed of his whereabouts. For over a day, his legal representatives were not allowed to see him. Only on the evening of 4 October was one of the lawyers able to meet with the activist.
• His relatives believe that Morozov is being persecuted because of his activities after the State Duma elections. He had pushed for a rally in Izhevsk to protest election violations. The city council said it was not possible to hold the event at the proposed location, but the Oktyabrsky District Court in Izhevsk later ruled that refusal unlawful.
• On the morning of 5 October, before the bail hearing for Morozov, police took his parents, Valery and Elena Tsarenko, to the station. Previously, they had been summoned to an interview by phone and planned to attend with a lawyer, but police officers came for them instead. According to the activist’s parents, they were not given formal summonses. After questioning, they were released.