Civil rights activist Mark Galperin on Tuesday morning told Kommersant, a nationally distributed daily Russian newspaper devoted to politics and business, that a number of unknown had people attempted to get into his apartment, and then began to break open the door.
“Unknown people are trying to come into my home,” the Jewish activist posted on his Facebook page at 8:40 AM. “After half an hour of ringing the doorbell, did not introduce themselves, and now, still shy about their identity, they’re trying to open the lock, “- said the activist in his Facebook about 8:40 Moscow Standard Time (MSK). Later, Galperin wrote that he was in a “paddy wagon.”
According to Irena von Burg, Galperin spent several weeks in prison in January 2015 for holding a sign that said “Je suis Charlie.” He has been leading opposition walks every Saturday and calling for a democratic revolution. In this picture from January 22 he is holding a sign that says “No war in Ukraine and Syria.”
Galperin’s attorney Ksenia Kostromina told Tass that her client’s apartment was being searched, but it is not known yet knwn under what pretense. Galperin is facing charges under Part. 1, Art. 280 of the Criminal Code (Incitement to extremist activity), and will be interrogated.
According to Tass, Galperin is involved repeated violations of Russian Federal Criminal Code Article 212.1 (Repeated violation of the established order of organizing or holding meetings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets).
Two activists, 75-year-old Vladimir Ionov and Ildar Dadin, were sentenced in December 2015 to three years’ imprisonment for violating 212.1.