A famous Russian activist against torture was hospitalized after being attacked by a man claiming to be a policeman, a sign of the climate of violence against civil society, his organization said on Thursday August 25.
Igor Kaliapin "
was attacked on Wednesday evening by an unknown man who ... tried to cut his face and strangle him
", declared the advisory council for human rights to the Kremlin, whose activist is a member.
“
The assailant was arrested (…) The victim is in hospital
” with a “
presumed concussion
”, added the same source in a press release.
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Igor Kaliapin is best known in Russia for founding the Committee Against Torture, an NGO which announced its dissolution in June amid growing repression.
The human rights defender told Russian media that the attack happened when he was celebrating a birthday with relatives at a country house east of Moscow.
One of those present, a friend of a friend claiming to be a policeman, “
suddenly attacked me.
Without giving an explanation, he said he had to kill me, which he tried to do for 15 to 20 minutes
,” he told the Ria Novosti agency.
"
He hit me and tried to stick a piece of broken glass in my neck
," added Igor Kaliapin, who says he has a broken nose.
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Igor Kaliapin is a member of the Council for Human Rights, an advisory group attached to the Kremlin with very relative influence.
The human rights situation in Russia has deteriorated sharply in recent years, with the arrest or the exodus of many opponents.
The repression has further worsened since the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine at the end of February.
It is in this context that the Committee against Torture, long led by Igor Kaliapin, announced its dissolution in June after being designated a “
foreign agent
”, a label which exposed it to legal proceedings.
This NGO, founded in 2000, campaigned to force the authorities to investigate the ill-treatment inflicted by the security forces.
She notably worked on the situation in Chechnya.
