During his trial, Anatoly Berezikov repeatedly said that he was afraid of “disappearing.” Two weeks later, on June 14, he was found dead in his cell in southwest Russia.
Berezikov is the first known critic of the Ukraine conflict to have died in custody since the Kremlin launched large-scale hostilities in February last year.
The circumstances of his death are unclear, but the cause given by authorities is suicide.
Photo: AFP
His friends and allies dismiss that account, saying they believe Berezikov was tortured in detention, possibly leading to his death.
“People can be repressed without trial or investigation. They can kidnap you, imprison you, search you, intimidate you, torture you and kill you,” said Tatiana Sporycheva, a rights advocate who supported Berezikov.
In Rostov in southern Russia, Berezikov had developed a reputation as a cheerful nonconformist, a lover of experimental music and staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He was one among thousands of people in Russia to have spoken out against the conflict and subsequently been threatened, fined or jailed.
Born in 1983 in the Siberian city of Biysk, Berezikov moved to Rostov in the 2010s, where he was active in the cultural underground scene.
“He worked as a tattooist and body-piercer. He made tattooing machines and sold them,” a friend told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
Berezikov’s friends and allies have also been pursued by security services.
With his talent for tinkering, Berezikov also built synthesizers for his experiments in “noise music.”
“He was a God-given technician,” said fellow musician Valentin Sokhorev, 52.
Berezikov looked everywhere for spare parts. In a 2019 photograph, he can been seen at a snow-covered flea market wearing just shorts, his chest bare. The skimpy combo was Berezikov’s usual uniform.
In the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the 40-year-old with a beard and long blond hair rode around the city shirtless on his bike.
Berezikov was also an advocate for leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption movement.
By default, that made him an opponent of Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine.
He claimed to have put up posters from an Ukrainian campaign that offers Russian soldiers guidance on how to surrender.
Berezikov was arrested in May by police and given three short consecutive jail terms for alleged misdemeanors, mirroring a trend deployed against Kremlin critics before serious charges are brought.
In custody, Berezikov was beaten and tortured with electric shocks, his lawyers said.
Sporycheva saw him in court on May 31 and recorded a video clip of Berezikov looking exhausted.
“He had lost a lot of weight. He kept saying: ‘They want to take me away. I will disappear and no one will find me,’” she said.
Berezikov died on June 14 having hung himself in his cell, officials said.
No expert medical assessment has been made public.
Authorities have opened a probe into potential abuses that could have led to the alleged suicide.
Sokhorev, who saw himself nearly as an older brother to Berezikov, said he tried for a long time to convince the tattooist to swear off activism.
“I said to him: ‘My friend, you shouldn’t do that. If you wave your ass in front of a hornet’s nest, expect them to sting you very hard. So don’t do it,’ but he didn’t see that, he didn’t see the danger,” Sokhorev said.
“He was brave, but mad,” the musician added.
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