Russian Anatoly Shchetinin, held at a military base in Gyumri, who faces criminal charges in his homeland for refusing military service, agreed to help human rights activists. The Public Verdict Foundation reports this.
The day before, on April 30, the lawyer of the Center for Assistance to International Protection, Narek Hakobyan, and the “Public Verdict” expert, Hasmik Novikova, met with Shchetinin. The Russian signed a consent form for legal assistance and told human rights activists that he still does not know his procedural status.
Shchetinin was able to leave the base, accompanied by a military policeman. According to Novikova, the Russian was “a little lost, but not depressed.”
“He wants to go to Russia, he really believes in a good scenario for his business, but he doesn’t quite understand the risk. Now he has agreed to receive legal assistance, which seems to have surprised Major Kovrizhkin, who was trying to tell Shchetinin what to answer in our exchange of opinions with the base officers, and who was trying to say that the lawyer was imposing his services,” said the Public Verdict expert »
On April 10, Akopyan and Novikova already met with Shchetinin. Then he said that he did not need the help of human rights activists and he had no complaints against the Russian authorities. The Russian also said that they tried to take him home twice, but both times the Armenian border guards did not allow him to do so.
According to human rights activists, 26-year-old Anatoly Shchetin was detained on March 29; he has been at the base in Gyumri for more than a month. In Russia, the man was put on the wanted list. It is unknown under what article exactly a criminal case was opened against him. Judging by leaks from databases, before emigrating to Armenia, the Russian lived in Kamchatka and could serve under a contract in the 155th Marine Brigade. According to an acquaintance of Shchetinin, the soldier left the military unit last year when its commanders started talking about an imminent departure to the front.
As Mediazona found out, the Russian wanted to return home and even kept in touch with his officers. They promised that a criminal case could be avoided if you voluntarily return to your unit and go to fight in Ukraine.
Human rights activists will demand materials from Shchetinin’s criminal case. “We are convinced that his detention at a Russian military base is illegal. This is contrary to international standards, so we will seek a fair decision,” said lawyer Narek Hakobyan.
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