Russian musician Denis Kaznacheev detained in Berlin. According to his official Facebook page, he was arrested about 10 days ago by the German authorities at the request of the US Department of Justice. The American side accuses the Russian of fraud on the Internet and money laundering and demands his immediate extradition to the States.
“Make noise!” I am not guilty. Please get me out of here! I appeal to all of you, I need your help! ” - the text says.
Kaznacheev’s friends created a petition in his defense to submit it to a Berlin court during a petition for the release of a Russian on bail.
“The USA cannot illegally arrest a person and ruin his life without evidence,” the petition says.
They suggest that attackers could steal the musician’s personal data and use them in their criminal activities. Friends of Kaznacheyev also announced a fundraiser to ensure his protection in court, payment of expenses for staying in prison and rental of his apartment in Berlin.
“Without an apartment, which means a place of permanent residence, Denis will not be able to ask for release on bail,” his friends emphasized.
Member of "Russian Cybermafia"
TASS, citing a source familiar with the case file, said that Kaznacheev was considered a member of the “Russian cybermafia” and was accused of laundering more than $ 1 million in hidden networks - darknet - from 2010 to 2020. The Russian himself denies his guilt and indicates that he does not know any of the alleged accomplices, and in the case are indicated ID (user ID) and IP (user address on the Internet), to which he has no relation.
Kaznacheev’s neighbor Anastasia Selyanina, who was renting an apartment in Berlin with a musician, became a witness of his detention.
“I left the house for five minutes, and when I returned, policemen dressed in civilian clothes approached me and asked to show my passport. I didn’t have it with me, and I started screaming from the yard out the window of our apartment so that Denis would throw it to me. Then the police said: “He can’t answer you,” Anastasia told RT Ruptly video agency. - The police and I went upstairs, the door to the apartment was knocked out, and Denis was handcuffed in the room. The police asked if he understands what he was detained for; he answered no. Then he was told that he was accused of cyber fraud and money laundering. ”
According to Anastasia, law enforcement authorities seized all documents, a laptop and Kaznacheev's stationary computer, and also checked her laptop.
The girl claims that Kaznacheev was never connected with information technology: “He lives only with music. Every time I return home, I have a little hope that Denis will sit there and it will all end. ”
The Russian Embassy in Berlin told RT that they were already aware of what had happened, but so far Kaznacheev had not applied to the diplomatic mission for consular legal assistance.
“At present, we are agreeing to establish contacts with Kaznacheev, his lawyer, as well as the administration of the institution in which he is being held in order to clarify all the circumstances,” the representative of the embassy said.
- © Denis Kaznacheev
The official representative of the Berlin prosecutor’s office, Martin Steltner, said on June 8 that Treasurers had been detained as part of international legal assistance. However, the agency does not have details about the criminal case itself.
"We are here, so to speak, involved in the framework of international legal assistance, we can confirm the detention, the rest ... to the US Department of Justice," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
Denis Kaznacheev was born in the city of Tashtagol, Kemerovo region, since 2012 he has been living in Berlin permanently, creates techno music and participates in international music festivals, is a co-founder of Nervmusic Records.
“We have been playing music together for many years, and when I found out about his arrest, it was a shock - I can’t imagine that Denis was involved in any fraudulent schemes,” Roman Treasurer’s friend told RT. - He moved to Berlin, because today it is the center of techno music, which is not very popular in Russia. In Germany, he had the opportunity to develop in his favorite musical direction. ”
The public must defend
Ivan Melnikov, vice president of the Russian unit of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights, suggested that Kaznacheev is now in an extra-ordinary prison.
“In Moscow, I had a chance to talk with a prisoner extradited from Germany. He said that he spent more than a month in a transit prison in Munich. There he was kept in solitary confinement, fed once a day in a rather small portion, - said the source RT. - Unlike ordinary prisons in Germany with decent conditions of detention, extra-isolation facilities do not withstand any criticism and, in my opinion, should be closed altogether. They are intended for citizens issued to other countries. It was in such an isolator that Denis could be placed, and therefore it is especially important to achieve his release. ”
The situation was commented on by a member of the expert council under the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, Maria Butina, who the US authorities accused of a felony. She noted that Germany and the United States have an extradition treaty in force since 1980. According to Butina, according to this document, the Federal Republic of Germany, at the request of the United States, has the right to keep a citizen in an extradition prison until extradition.
“If the crime has been committed for 10 years, then why only now have the States decided to indict? In addition, it would make sense to provide the Russian side with materials on such a serious criminal case in which a Russian citizen is accused. To date, we do not have any documents and are forced to comment based on our guesses. The United States remains silent, ”said the interlocutor of RT.
According to Butina, it will be possible to achieve justice for Kaznacheev only if it succeeds in attracting public attention to the case.
“Kaznacheev’s support group did the right thing by creating a petition and urging people to help with money - from the first days of detention, he needs a qualified lawyer. Now it is necessary to attract as much media attention as possible to the arrest, and Kaznacheev himself to contact representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry. The success of this case and the termination of the criminal prosecution are possible only if the public defends Kaznacheev, ”the Russian woman believes.