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Update: Russian Gay Rights Activist Possibly Being Questioned By FSB (formerly KGB)

Posted by: Bridgette P. LaVictoire on September 15, 2010.

09/15/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
A statement has been released by a Russian LGBT group regarding the arrest of Nikolai Alekseev. It appears that he was arrested by what use to be the KGB, namely the FSB. GayUK has related much of the statement:

“[Mr. Alekseev] had time to call a friend as well as the news agency Interfax,” the statement read.

“Reports of his arrest have been republished in the evening through the Russian media. As he told his friends and the media, no explanation was given to him on the motive of his arrest. A group of three activists from GayRussia led by Nikolai Baev went to the airport to try to locate Nikolai.

“The airport police told them that Nikolai was not retained by the airport police and one police officer suggested that he was being interrogated by the FSB (ex-KGB) at its headquarter in Lubyanka (Central Moscow).

“A recent law passed by the Russian Parliament, and signed-off by President Medvedev in July of this year, allows the FSB to echo Soviet practices.

“The punishment for ignoring a warning was unclear, but 15-day jail sentences are envisaged for “obstructing an FSB officer’s duties”.

“This new provision was denounced by human rights activists as an attempt to prevent human rights activists to organise rallies and public protest by pre-emptively arresting them. The headquarters of the Moscow Police told Human Rights activists Ludmila Alekseeva tonight that Nikolai Alekseev is not registered within their database.

“The FSB denied to answer questions tonight. No more information is expected before tomorrow morning.

“Under Russian law, enforcement authorities have no right to detain people for long periods without charges and without giving reasons for the detention, but this time has already expired at 10pm Moscow time.”

What happens now depends upon Russia. The law that Alekseev was arrested under has been creating a very strong impression that Russia is returning to the old Soviet ways, and that fears that Russia is slipping back into a totalitarian nation.