Karinna Moskalenko Arrested at Chita Airport

Harassment of Khodorkovsky’s defense counsel continuesmoskalenko.jpg A translation from Novaya Gazeta:

Khodorkovsky’s lawyer Karinna Moskalenko, who was detained in Chita by officers of the procuracy and forced to sign a statement on non-disclosure of investigation data, tells the details to a “Novaya Gazeta” correspondent: “Before flying out from Chita, I was approached by airport employees who asked me to follow them for an additional security check. There happened to be journalists from one of the television channels next to me. They got interested and asked the airport workers what was happening. The employees replied that they would not speak with the journalists, only with me. I objected: journalists are my witnesses. I said I wasn’t going anywhere, and that there couldn’t be any additional security check. I had already gone through a thorough search, opening up all of my baggage myself. I suggested to them that they take my handbag from me. Then the airport employees supposed that there was something wrong with my boarding pass. This could not have been true. I showed them my boarding pass and asked what they really wanted from me. It was declared to me that inasmuch as I am refusing to cooperate, I will simply be removed from the flight. This is the only flight for 24 hours. I could not allow a delay, because in Moscow I have a sick child and work that can’t wait. The previous day I had told about this to the investigator. He asked me again when I’m flying out, and then revealed himself here in this strange way. All this time, the journalists were phoning the International Commission of Jurists, to other organizations. The people who had attempted to take me away got confused and didn’t know what to do. “Two officers of the procuracy appeared. The first – a young man – behaved sufficiently politely. I said: ‘I’m sorry that you have to begin your career in law with such an abomination. The second, a man of unpleasant aspect, even refused to give his name. I demanded that he get away from us. He was taken aback by that, and stepped aside. I announced that I am being forced to sign a non-disclosure statement, I wrote in the document that I am doing this under duress, and promised the procuracy officers that I would immediately file a complaint with the Procuracy-General. They tried to force me to sign yet another document, signed by investigator Karimov: it said that my refusal to sign the non-disclosure will be regarded as a criminal offense”.