St. Petersburg anti-corruption rally: School graduate accused of violence against riot police


Russia’s Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings over violence against a riot policeman during the anti-corruption rally in St. Petersburg on June, 12.

According to investigators, 17-year-old activist Dmitry Myakishyn who is finishing high school this year hit a police officer with his fist in the face.

The criminal case was opened under Art. 318-2 of the Criminal Code (use of violence endangering life and health). The maximum penalty provides for up to 10 years in prison. Myakishyn was arrested on Thursday morning when he was going to take an exam.

“Then I climbed to the platform, riot policemen (OMON) started to ring around me. They ran at me. I jumped; six policemen knocked me down. One of them must have stumbled and fallen. His tooth must have fallen out,” Myakishin told openrussia.org.

The incident was recorded, meduza.io reports. The video shows the teenager running away from the police along one of the four granite blocks around the eternal flame in the Field of Mars. The police tried to take him off from there. Myakishyn jumped down, the riot policemen rushed to him. If one slows the video down, it becomes clear that the policeman seized the teenager and his jaw struck against Myakishyn’s head. Then the blood was seen on his face.

belsat.eu; photo – Арсеній Вяснін

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