Jun 01, 2007News: Moscow Gay Pride: Tatchell’s Assailant Not Arrested, Say Police
By vanrozenheim
(London, UK) - Moscow police confirm that they have opened a criminal investigation into the assault on British gay human rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, at last Sunday's Moscow Gay Pride event. But official police claims that they have arrested the right-wing extremist who punched Mr Tatchell in the face are untrue, according to the investigating officer. In another development, there are allegations that Moscow police are trying to pin the assault on three right-wingers who may be innocent of any involvement.
“I have been informed by police officer Evgeni Guskov, who is based at Moscow's Tverskaya police station, that a criminal investigation has been opened into the assault on me. Mr Guskov was the officer who took my witness statement on Monday 28 May,” said Mr Tatchell in a lengthy statement.
“In a press statement issued on 27 May, Moscow police spokesperson, Evgeni Gildeyev, claimed that the man who punched me had been identified and arrested. This is untrue, according to officer Guskov. He told me that the assailant is unknown and has not been arrested.
“The false claim that the police have arrested my attacker looks like a public relations ploy to convince people that the Moscow police are taking action. It appears to be a crude bid to placate international indignation over the police failure to protect me and other Gay Pride participants.
“I have little confidence that the assailant will be arrested and put on trial. Too many Moscow police are homophobes and fascist sympathisers. They failed to protect us against neo-Nazi violence and they failed to arrest the thugs who attacked us.
“At last year's attempted Moscow Gay Pride march, the German Green Party MP, Volker Beck, was struck in the face by a rock thrown by a right-wing extremist. The assailant was filmed attacking Mr. Beck. In the Russian edition of Newsweek, he was named and was quoted as boasting that he threw the rock. He has never been arrested, let alone brought to court.
“The Moscow authorities protect the far right, even when they commit violent hate crimes and make a public confession.
“I am very concerned by allegations that Moscow police want to charge people with attacking me, when they may be innocent. The desire to charge these men may not secure justice. It could have more to do with rescuing the tarnished reputation of the Moscow police.
“Even if these men are fascists and homophobes, I oppose people being framed on false charges of assaulting me. That is wrong.
“I did not see the man who punched me in the eye. I was looking the other way. I did not see the right-wing extremists who knocked me to the ground and kicked me. I cannot identify the assailants.
“A man in a brownish camouflage t-shirt attacked me twice before I was punched in the eye. He shoved me in front of City Hall and punched me soon afterwards on the other side of Tverskaya street. He looked like the man who was photographed as he raised his arm to punch me in the face.
“As a result of the violence against me, I have some minor concussion, slightly affecting my balance, coordination, memory and concentration. The vision in my right eye is damaged and blurred. Nevertheless, doctors expect that I will make a full recovery within a couple of weeks or so.
“These physical inconveniences are nothing by comparison to the savage injuries often inflicted on human rights defenders in Columbia, Russia, Iraq, Burma, Zimbabwe, Iran and Egypt,” said Mr. Tatchell.
