The authorities of Ecuador have deprived Julian Assange of asylum in the London embassy. The founder of WikiLeaks is detained by the British police, and this has already been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Ecuador. Why is Assange being avenged and what awaits him?

Julian Assange, a programmer and journalist from Australia, became widely known after the website WikiLeaks, founded by him, published secret documents of the US State Department, as well as materials related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

But it was quite difficult to find out who the policemen, supporting by the arms, were taking out of the building. Assange grew a beard and did not look at all like the energetic man that he had so far presented in photographs.

According to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Assange's asylum was denied because of his repeated violations of international conventions.

He is expected to remain at a police station in central London until he appears before Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Why the President of Ecuador is accused of betrayal

Former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa called the decision of the current government the biggest betrayal in the history of the country. "What he (Moreno. - Approx. ed.) did is a crime that humanity will never forget," Correa said.

London, on the contrary, thanked Moreno. The British Foreign Office believes that justice has prevailed. The representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, has a different opinion. "The hand of 'democracy' is squeezing the throat of freedom," she said. The Kremlin expressed the hope that the rights of the arrested person would be respected.

Ecuador harbored Assange because the former president was center-left, critical of US policy, and welcomed WikiLeaks' release of classified documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even before the Internet activist needed asylum, he managed to get to know Correa personally: he interviewed him for the Russia Today channel.

However, in 2017, the government in Ecuador changed, the country headed for rapprochement with the United States. The new president called Assange "a stone in the shoe" and immediately made it clear that his stay on the territory of the embassy would not be delayed.

According to Correa, the moment of truth came at the end of June last year, when US Vice President Michael Pence arrived in Ecuador on a visit. Then everything was decided. "You can be sure: Lenin is just a hypocrite. He has already agreed with the Americans about the fate of Assange. And now he is trying to make us swallow the pill, saying that Ecuador allegedly continues the dialogue," Correa said in an interview with Russia Today.

How Assange made new enemies

The day before his arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristin Hrafnsson said that Assange was under total surveillance. "WikiLeaks uncovered a massive spy operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy," he said. According to him, cameras and voice recorders were placed around Assange, and the information received was transmitted to the administration of Donald Trump.

Hrafnsson specified that Assange was going to be expelled from the embassy a week earlier. This did not happen only because WikiLeaks made this information public. A high-ranking source told the portal about the plans of the Ecuadorian authorities, but the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, Jose Valencia, denied the rumors.

Assange's expulsion was preceded by a corruption scandal involving Moreno. In February, WikiLeaks published the INA Papers package, which traced the operations of the offshore company INA Investment, founded by the brother of the Ecuadorian leader. In Quito, they said that this was a plot by Assange with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former head of Ecuador Rafael Correa to overthrow Moreno.

In early April, Moreno complained about Assange's behavior in Ecuador's London mission. “We have to protect the life of Mr. Assange, but he has already crossed all the lines in terms of violating the agreement that we reached with him,” the president said. “This does not mean that he cannot speak freely, but he cannot lie and hack ". At the same time, back in February last year, it became known that Assange at the embassy was deprived of the opportunity to interact with the outside world, in particular, he was turned off access to the Internet.

Why Sweden stopped persecuting Assange

At the end of last year, Western media, citing sources, reported that Assange would be charged in the United States. This was never officially confirmed, but it was precisely because of Washington's position that Assange had to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy six years ago.

Sweden, in May 2017, stopped investigating two cases of rape in which the founder of the portal was accused. Assange demanded compensation from the country's government for legal costs in the amount of 900,000 euros.

Earlier, in 2015, Swedish prosecutors also dropped three charges against him due to the statute of limitations.

Where did the rape investigation lead?

Assange arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2010, hoping to get protection from US authorities. But he was under investigation for rape. In November 2010, a warrant for his arrest was issued in Stockholm, and Assange was put on the international wanted list. He was detained in London, but was soon released on bail of 240 thousand pounds.

In February 2011, a British court ruled to extradite Assange to Sweden, followed by a series of successful appeals for the founder of WikiLeaks.

The British authorities placed him under house arrest before deciding to extradite him to Sweden. Breaking his promise to the authorities, Assange asked for asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​which was granted to him. Since then, the UK has had its own grievances against the founder of WikiLeaks.

What's next for Assange?

The man was re-arrested following a U.S. extradition request for publishing classified documents, police said. At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Alan Duncan said that Assange would not be sent to the United States if he faced the death penalty there.

In the UK, Assange is likely to appear in court on the afternoon of 11 April. This is stated on the WikiLeaks Twitter page. It is likely that the British authorities will seek a maximum sentence of 12 months, the man's mother said, citing his lawyer.

At the same time, the Swedish prosecutor's office is considering reopening the investigation into the rape allegation. Lawyer Elizabeth Massey Fritz, who represented the interests of the victim, will seek this.

At any time in our country there were heroes who, alone, fearlessly challenged the excesses and corruption that prevailed in society. Against internal enemies who "devour" Russia from within. An article about a man who went to an unequal battle with a rotten system built in the traffic police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the capital, and suffered for the truth. Why was Eric Davidovich imprisoned, and will human rights activists be able to defend a well-known blogger in court?

What happened to David

Last year was full of scandals connected, directly or indirectly, with representatives of public services of the highest echelons. In society, the line between people who consider themselves masters of life and ordinary citizens has become especially noticeable. With this state of affairs, many are unhappy, but few of us can speak openly. Eric Davidovich was not afraid, for which all the discontent, anger and rage of the top of the traffic police focused on him.

What happened to Davidich? The answer is simple: the blogger drew the public's attention to the total corruption in the traffic police. The leadership of the traffic police did not like his activity. Everyone already knows the result - arrest for grand larceny. Moreover, human rights activists and friends Kituashvili(Eric's real name) claim that the case was fabricated as a punishment for Davidich's active citizenship.

While the investigation is going on, Eric should be in custody. The decision is most likely aimed at psychologically breaking the founder of the largest Russian car club. Everyone knows the opinion of many politicians, like Vladimir Putin himself, that people should answer to the state in a completely different way for committed economic crimes.

But the court ruled differently, and Kituashvili is waiting for the court's decision while in pre-trial detention.

Arrest of Davidich

It's no secret that each of the traffic police officers has a daily plan for handing over money to their superiors. An employee who does not comply with it can be seriously injured, up to and including dismissal from the ranks of the road service. These facts were laid out by Kituashvili in his two documentaries. Which of the officials goes to the main percentage? cash desks', one can only guess. But he did not want to lose such a gold mine.

In early February, the founder of the site smotra.ru began to be shadowed. Eric quickly noticed this, and repeatedly reported this fact to his readers. The psychological attack did not work, the street racer did not change his active civil position, criticism towards the traffic police continued.

On February 20, although the police speak of the 21st, Davidich was detained. A whole operation was developed, with the participation of OMON, it ended with an arrest. The street racer, who was going about his business, was stopped by traffic police officers. After apologizing to Eric, law enforcement officers asked to take a photo with a celebrity runet . But this was just a pretext, and Kituashvili, who got out of the car, was seized by riot police.

Walks on the net interesting fact, about which the detainee said - sensing his illegal actions, one of the traffic police officers quietly said to the blogger “ sorry».

Why was Erik Davidich closed?

Revenge on the part of traffic police officers is one side of the coin that lawyers and fans of the blogger are talking about. Videos about corruption, posted on the largest video hosting YouTube, gained hundreds of thousands of views. Several employees were dismissed from the ranks of the road service, and the topic itself began to be actively discussed in society. Clouds began to darken over the traffic police, which had not been loved by the drivers of Russia before. It was for this that Erik Davidich was closed.

Official version of the authorities - blogger charged with grand larceny. What other options go in our society:

• Assassination attempt on the President of Ingushetia. In 2009, there was a precedent associated with an attempt on the life of the President of Ingushetia, in which a blogger was allegedly involved.
• Fraud with an insurance company. Last year, the police arrested a criminal group that was selling cars and engaged in insurance fraud. Giving evidence, these scoundrels told the police that they interacted with the famous street racer.
• Policy. It became known that Kituashvili had been carrying the idea of ​​​​creating a political party for more than one year. This is not an easy matter, and his political rivals could close their competitor.

Now the creator and head of the largest automobile club is in custody, and, according to his lawyer, two searches took place in his house. Particularly worried in the current situation mother and sister injured leader. They are fully convinced of the absurdity of the accusations, and hope for an acquittal.

The Case of the GTA Gang

Nobody questions outrageous blogger. Scandals and violations of generally accepted norms of behavior are always present in the life of the famous street racer. For example, in 2010, the participants of the next car race decided to stay in one of the hotels in Samara. The administrator, not recognizing Eric, asked him for a passport, for which she became the object of verbal bullying by a cheerful company. The whole event was filmed and posted online.

Here is that video:

But this is an episode. Behind the shoulders of Kituashvili there are also right deeds.

In 2014, in the vicinity of the Moscow region, on the Don highway, a gang called GTA began to operate. The criminal gang, using homemade spikes, stopped cars and robbed people. Then the driver and passengers were killed. The police were powerless, and the number of victims reached the mark of 19 people (17 of whom were killed).

How long this gang would have operated is unknown. Automobile activists led by Eric Davidich joined the search for murders, who for about a month "combed" the forests nearby to the highway, and led the police to the murderers.

Social activities of Davidich

Let's talk about the social activities of Eric Kituashvili. What did, and we hope will do, an Internet browser in everyday life:

• Video portalsmotra. en. Founder of a video portal where you can watch tests of new products in the automotive market.
• Charity rides. During charity rallies, he visited orphanages, where he gave things and gifts to disadvantaged children.
• The fight against theft. The ideological founder of the program to combat car theft, which would be able to reduce car theft to zero.
• The fight against corruption in the traffic police. Fighting corruption in the traffic police, in just one year he was able to bring out of the shadows about 300 unscrupulous traffic police officers.

Afterword, or what will happen next with Davidich

Davidich was detained for 2 months, and is waiting for the end of the investigation. Almost no one doubts his innocence, and almost every day hundreds of activists come to the courthouse demanding a fair trial.

Two scandalous films about the activities of the road guard service have been posted on the network. The third part is on the way, in which the names of the tops of the corruption conspiracy can be announced. Right now, perhaps, there is a trade with a well-known leader, part of the deal of which will be “freedom for silence”.

For what they put Eric Davidovich, one can only guess. But if you stick to the main version, blogger suffered due to his active fight against corruption in the traffic police, and perhaps touched some influential official. Whether celebrities will help him in court with their publicity, time will tell.

Video: Detention of Erik Davidovich

In this video, the very detention of Eric Kituashvili, which happened immediately after it, how the blogger himself reacted to his arrest:

The Tverskoy Court of Moscow arrested the founder of the Smotra.ru auto site, Eric “Davidych” Kituashvili, for two months. He is accused of major auto insurance fraud. According to investigators, eight years ago, a blogger with accomplices staged the theft of a Lexus, and then received 1.35 million rubles of insurance from Ingosstrakh. Kituashvili pleads not guilty, insisting that the case against him was fabricated. The accused connects his arrest with the release of a new film about exposing corruption in the traffic police, but there are other versions of what happened. Lenta.ru weighed the arguments of the prosecution and the defense.

Detention

On February 22, the Tverskoy Court of Moscow issued an arrest warrant for the founder of the Smotra.ru auto community, video blogger and street racer Eric "Davidych" Kituashvili. The measure of restraint was chosen at the request of the investigation for a period of up to April 20.

Information about the detention of the video blogger appeared a day earlier. Kituashvili was stopped by traffic police inspectors, asked to take a picture, and then detained. He spent the night in a temporary detention center at 38 Petrovka. Public figure Pavel Pyatnitsky managed to visit the detainee and find out the details of the incident.

What caused the interest of the police in the person of Kituashvili is not known for certain. His friend, the founder of the StopHam movement, Dmitry Chugunov, told reporters that Davidich was not allowed to contact anyone for a day. According to Chugunov, the case was opened on an eight-year-old story related to car insurance, to which Kituashvili has a very indirect relationship. In this case, another person was convicted, who had already been released - and suddenly decided to write a statement against Kituashvili. The founder of StopHam said that Eric's relatives were being searched.

It is curious that versions of what happened almost immediately appeared, and even rather extravagant ones: for example, lawyer Sergei Zhorin said on his page in Twitter that the investigation suspects Kituashvili of involvement in the attempt on the life of the President of Ingushetia. This is stated in the investigator's decision, the defender explained to Lente.ru.

We are talking about the events of June 2009. During the passage of the motorcade of the head of the republic Yunus-Bek Yevkurov Toyota car Camry pushed back the escort car and drove closer to the armored Mercedes W220, which was the Ingush leader. There was an explosion, as a result of which the driver and one of the guards were killed, and Yevkurov received numerous injuries and burns. Zhorin informed in the microblog: “Eric is loaded in full. Someone very tall wants to close it.”

After a while, a political version also appeared, which was made by the former chairman of the banned movement "Russians" Dmitry Demushkin on the air of the radio station "Moscow Speaks". He said that he met with Kituashvili two weeks ago: “We discussed the possibility of creating a party. Funny. I just suggested that politics is a dangerous business. Today, people call me and say that two weeks have not passed since they closed it for some old garbage.

Demushkin told a Lenta.ru correspondent that Kituashvili wanted to discuss with him the idea of ​​creating social movement, and later the public party. But Demushkin could not meet for a more detailed conversation, and he reacted to the proposal of his friend with irony: “Are you having problems, or something? I wouldn't go there." According to Demushkin, the blogger has already had problems with the head of the Moscow traffic police, where the “Smotry” activists were involved in exposing cases of corruption.

At the same time, Demushkin admitted that he did not know the real reason for the detention of the founder of the automotive community. “I think he had a very superficial understanding of politics. We talked about ideology with him, he didn’t like much, but calling him an oppositionist and expecting that tomorrow he will oppose the current government would be wrong,” Demushkin explained.

Demushkin laughed off Kituashvili's proposal to join: since last fall, the politician has been participating in lawsuits. “I think he didn’t even fully understand that after all these bans (the ban on the activities of the Russian movement in October 2015 - approx. "Tapes.ru") it is difficult to create something with me. He was never considered a politician,” he explained. Kituashvili, according to Demushkin, is nothing more than a strong businessman with an active lifestyle: he has a successful YouTube channel, he organizes trips to orphanages, and participates in the fight against the GTA gang.

Later, the leader of the Stopkhamovites, Dmitry Chugunov, made a statement that he, together with Kituashvili, had been preparing the creation of a socio-political movement called "People" for the past three months.

Theft

The detainee himself said that he was put on trial because of the fight against corruption. "Davidych" linked his detention with the release of a new film about corruption in the traffic police, the announcement of which took place not so long ago. “As soon as I began to expose corruption in the traffic police, they immediately began to sew a case for me. (...) I am not afraid of anything, I am not afraid, I am fully responsible for all my deeds and actions,” he stressed, according to LifeNews.

Moreover, Kituashvili said that the case against him was fabricated. “The investigation did not provide anything. When I got in touch with this corruption story, I understood, my mother told me: "Don't interfere, son, they will kill you, put you in jail." But they make money off our lives, on public roads. I will not reconcile. I can be killed in prison. But I will continue to spread information,” Kituashvili told reporters, the Mediazona website reports. According to the detainee, the third part of the investigation into corruption in the traffic police was devoted to car theft, the film was supposed to be released on February 22.

The official version is as follows: according to the Moscow Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the founder of the auto community was charged with stealing a large amount of money from an insurance company. According to the lawyer, we are talking about Ingosstrakh, which on February 20 filed a complaint with the police about the events of eight years ago. On the same day, a criminal case was initiated under article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Fraud on an especially large scale”) against unidentified persons. As part of the investigation, Kituashvili was detained, and a search was conducted at his home in Khodynskoye Pole.

According to investigators, in June 2008, together with unidentified persons on Kargopolskaya Street in Moscow, he staged the theft of an expensive foreign car. Then the attackers presented false documents to the insurance company. An insurance indemnity in the amount of 1.35 million rubles was transferred to an account in one of the capital's banks for an allegedly stolen and insured car. Thus, the insurance company suffered material damage on an especially large scale.

According to police, Kituashvili is involved in more than eight similar crimes. In particular, investigator Milyutin stated in court that the blogger's involvement in the crime was confirmed by the statements of the victims and the testimony of witnesses Ukhov and Ardovsky. The founder of Smotra.ru told the judge that over the past year he “caught more than 300 corrupt officials from among the traffic police,” the Mediazona website reports.

The defense side did not agree with the accusations - in particular, the lawyer Zhorin said that his ward did not admit his guilt. “The owner of the stolen Lexus, for which the suspect allegedly received a reward, is entity. The compensation was received by a legal entity,” another blogger’s lawyer, Oleg Dyachkov, said in court, Mediazona reports.

He said that Kituashvili became a suspect in the car theft case in 2013. “The only evidence of his involvement (in the crime) was the testimony of Ardovsky, which raises doubts,” the lawyer says. The defense suggested that the judge pay a bail, which is almost ten times the amount of damage, but Kituashvili was nevertheless left in the pre-trial detention center for two months.

Confrontation

Known since the late 90s, street racer and car enthusiast Eric "Davidych" began to gain popularity on the network after he became one of the founders of the Smotra.ru website in 2009. The forum for car owners, street racers and tuning enthusiasts, named after the observation deck on Vorobyovy Gory - a favorite meeting point for Moscow street racers - quickly turned into one of the main automotive resources of Runet. Today, the site has more than three million regular visitors who actively participate in discussions on forums and social networks. They themselves call themselves "viewers", publish reviews and test drives of sports cars, exchange tips and rare details for racing cars in a narrow circle. Smotra also sells its own branded products, mainly for street racers.

The resource gained wide popularity in 2010. Then the project team, together with the famous hip-hop artist Roma Zhigan, organized an all-Russian motor rally, based on which a video blog was created. But most of all, the event was remembered by the brawl arranged by "Davidych" and Zhigan at the reception of the hotel in Samara, where the participants of the run tried to check in early in the morning. A video of them insulting the hotel administrator went viral and caused a negative reaction from the Internet community and public figures.

Since 2009, the Smotra.ru team has been running a YouTube channel of the same name. "Davidych" posts there videos with educational programs for motorists and test drives, and also discusses the latest events in the world of cars and high-profile accidents on the roads. Quite often, he talks about the need to change the law. More than two million people have subscribed to Kituashvili's channel. Over six years, SmotraTV's videos have been viewed more than 350 million times, and the most popular video on the channel has collected about five million views. In it, "Davidych" makes a remark to the police in a nearby car, one of whom is not wearing a seat belt and talking on the phone. After the blogger's remark, the law enforcement officer meekly ends the conversation on the phone and fastens his seat belt.

One of the most visited sections of the channel is "Davidych on the Hunt", in which Kituashvili exposes corruption among traffic police officers. For several years, more than 30 videos have appeared in the section.

In the top ten most popular videos on SmotraTV - “Davidych on the hunt. Part #6". This is the same video that essentially began the confrontation between Moscow street racers and the metropolitan traffic police. The episode demonstrates how police officers, after an unsuccessful attempt to “shake off” a bribe from the leader of the “Smotra” community, tried to leave the blogger with flashing lights on, crossing double solid lines several times. The video has collected 4.5 million views on YouTube and could not help but attract public attention. After some time, "Davidych" published a video called "Hunting for Davidich. Strike One," in which Eric is chased by a white Ford with no police identification, which he says contains "civilian police officers."

Frame: Eric Davidovich / Youtube

In an attempt to find out who these people are and why they are on his tail, the blogger gathered around him five more police cars and several media outlets. “They are trying to find at least something ... some kind of jamb,” Eric himself comments on what is happening. As a result, the usual check of documents dragged on for almost an hour, after which “Davidych” was handed a copy of the notice on the initiation of an administrative investigation on the basis of Article 28.7, with which he must come to court as a witness. In fact, it was about one of Eric's test drives, which captured how he drives a car of the brand range rover without state marks. Eric also demonstrated to the camera an expired insurance certificate, which, after verification, was allegedly returned to him by the traffic police. Authorities informally demanded that the blogger wait for the commander of the SAO traffic police - "for a conversation."

"Davidych" is also known for numerous conflicts with video bloggers and representatives of the Internet community. In 2010, he threatened the creators of the encyclopedia of Russian folklore Lurkmore with reprisals for a comic article about a car rally and an incident in a Samara hotel. In January 2016, he promised to “find and punish” two bloggers from the well-known YouTube channel Nemagia, who had previously filmed a review about him and called him a hijacker expensive cars.

More than one scandalous story is connected with the name of Erik Davidovich. Videos, live broadcasts, films and reviews posted by the video blogger have attracted a lot of public attention due to the revealing meaning of the stories. Online discussions and the popularity of the videos even led to a series of inspections and sanctions among traffic police officers, with the subsequent removal from service of some of the actors.

Who is Davidich

Davidovich is from the capital of Russia. His parents served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in the city where he was born and could provide their offspring with a prosperous childhood.

During Eric's service in the army, his father resigned from his post, despite a good career growth and opened his own business. The business was aimed at servicing luxury cars.

The son who returned from the army easily joined the family business. It so happened that he quickly made the necessary acquaintances and was able to fulfill his childhood dream. It was with this chip that he became famous on the road - golden bmw car x5. On this car, he was repeatedly seen on the streets of the capital.

On the wave of passion for expensive cars Davidovich joined the Internet project in 2008. During this period, he came up with the idea to start his own resource for demonstrating and implementing creative ideas. An ambitious young man decided to create the site Smotra.ru (smotra.ru). The name was given in honor of the observation deck on Sparrow Hills - a gathering place for lovers of speed and beautiful cars.

The goal was to unite high-class car owners into a single community.

blogging activity

In a short time, the site has gained great popularity. Visitors gladly shared their opinions and experiences, created blogs, read expert advice. All information was sent to expensive cars, their benefits, care, etc.

Soon a YouTube channel appeared, which also enjoyed great success. A lot of test drives, service features, reviews were presented here, videos shot by the owner were broadcast, bold and interesting. Provocative clips began to appear concerning traffic police officers, how many offenses are now happening on their part, which led to proceedings in the relevant structures.

During the first year, about 300 traffic policemen got into the camera lens. Reviews of the video were very different: some considered it audacity and outright provocation, others considered it a fight against corruption. Some users began to imitate the manner in which the author of the channel communicated with the traffic police (“davidykat”), considering such behavior to be the norm.

Vibrant activity and excellent knowledge of expensive cars made Eric a leader among street racers in Moscow.

The development of the site allowed Kituashvili to become famous far beyond the circle of acquaintances:

1. The scandalous motor rally Moscow-Yekaterinburg was organized in 2010.
2. There is information that the blogger and his company insulted the administrator of one of the hotels, who did not recognize the YouTube star and took too long to complete the paperwork. Later it was reported that the violators of the order made a public apology, but no confirmation of this fact was found.

Helicopters became another hobby of Davidovich. A lot of videos on his channel demonstrate flights and features of aircraft control.

Wikipedia says that Eric Kituashvili was invited to the Russia 1 TV channel to host a series of programs about cars. He also makes exciting shows for other interested channels. This turn of events greatly increased the popularity of the autoblogger.

Assistance to Law Enforcement

Another noteworthy fact from the biography of Davidovich is his participation in the neutralization criminal group"GTA", named after the popular computer game. The bandits acted according to its plot, completing tasks. There are 17 people who suffered at the hands of bandits on the M4 Don highway.

Devices damaging the wheels were installed on the path of the cars - the driver was forced to stop for repairs. Under the pretext of helping, the bandits attacked the victims or, passing by in a car, shot the passengers and the driver.

A team of street racers led by Kituashvili went hunting for criminals. Their actions were defiant and rude. They searched the cars that fit the orientation, and did it very unceremoniously. People's opinions about the actions of the group were divided: it is not very pleasant when armed people, albeit for good purposes, drive around the highway and arbitrarily inspect cars.

After the intervention of a company of volunteers, the attacks of the criminal group stopped, and the bandits lay low. The liquidation of the gang leader took place on November 6, 2014, with the participation of a special forces detachment. He offered armed resistance and was shot dead. Eric Kituashvili was awarded a paper of thanks for his active assistance.

When considering this case, law enforcement agencies came to the conclusion that the bandits were trying to sow panic among the inhabitants of Russia and were preparing to carry out a number of terrorist acts. The group consisted of 10 people. All of them were from Middle Asia, whose nationality is not specified and are suspected of having links with ISIS banned in Russia.

Criminal case

In 2016, a black spot appeared in the biography of Eric Kituashvili. He was accused of fraud with insurance companies - this was followed by an arrest and a stay in a pre-trial detention center.

Eric Kituashvili, according to law enforcement agencies, as part of an organized group of criminals staged the theft of several expensive cars:

1. Lexus LS430.
2. Mercedes-Benz SL 55 AMG.
3. BMW M5.
4. BMW 745i.

By submitting false documents to the insurance company, fraudsters received damage compensation payments. The case file contains information that the declared cars were transported to Ingushetia for sale with the help of third parties. Also in the case was Kituashvili's common-law wife, Anna Kuganskaya, for whom some cars were registered.

The prosecutor's office insisted on 7 years in prison under the article "Fraud in the field of insurance, committed organized group". The famous lawyer Sergey Zhorin defended the blogger, who insisted on his innocence.

Blogger Kituashvili pleaded not guilty and stated that the case was fabricated after revealing videos about law enforcement agencies, but could not provide evidence.

The court's decision

In the courtroom at the hearing of the verdict, such famous personalities as Alan Enileev, Alexei Malobrodsky, who came to support Kituashvili, were seen. The announcement of the court decision took six hours with a break of 30 minutes. Supporters of the blogger watched the trial online at the court walls, from the screens of phones and laptops. The punishment was reduced to 4 years 8 months in prison - for fraud and money laundering.

By the time the hearing was over, Davidovich had already been in the SIZO for 30 months. During this time, he regularly posted his photos and videos on social networks, Periscope, etc.

According to the law, a month in an isolation cell is equal to 1.5 in a colony.. At that time, Eric remained in prison until December 2018. The defenders managed to prove the blogger's innocence in one of the crimes, because at that time he was in Singapore, and on November 1 the statute of limitations for another incident expired. In this regard, it was planned to file an appeal against the decision, according to which the defendant should be released from serving his sentence and released from the courtroom.

Anna Koganskaya was arrested in March 2016 - she was given 3 years and 2 months in prison. The defendant spent all this time under house arrest and has already been released.

Kituashvili's lawyer said that his client was also accused of an attempt on the life of the President of Ingushetia on June 22, 2009. According to the lawyer, this was just an excuse to detain the suspect.

Interestingly, in 2006, the European Court of Human Rights recognized his arguments about illegal detention as convincing and even ruled for non-pecuniary damage. Also among the fans there was a rumor that Davidovich managed to escape from prison, although the information was not confirmed.

In appearance, Eric Kituashvili looks like a decent person and a Christian who observes the laws. However, the mass of scandalous incidents and defiant behavior characterize him not from the best side.

Despite the defiant behavior, Eric Kituashvili did a number of noble deeds. He regularly provides assistance to organizations such as orphanages, homes for disabled children, etc.

The other day, Davidich, a well-known online blogger, was put under arrest. According to him, he was caught by the hand more than 300 traffic police officers who boldly took bribes. He posted revealing videos about the top traffic police on the network, one of the last topics covered in the video was the purchase of a position by the head of the Moscow traffic police for a large sum. Kituashvili enjoys wide support from motorists. So why was the blogger arrested: revenge or did he really deserve punishment?

Who is Eric Daviditch?

Eric Davidovich Kituashvili was born on July 8, 1981 in Moscow. A 34-year-old man has a scandalous character, reckless actions. He is self-confident, outrageous and bold, not afraid of the police. Eric is well known in the narrow circles of golden youth.

He says the following about himself: “I do not break the law except for traffic rules. BMW fan. I am ready to defend my position to the end. I understand that in our country power is in money and power. I do charity work and help orphanages.

Mini-oligarch, professional street racer, founder of the portal of riders, an online community managed to gather all the riders in one place. He is the owner of the site Smotra.ru, maintains a video blog where he shares experiments and observations in the world of cars. His youtube channel has over 1,000,000 subscribers.

The people remembered for their "Golden BMW" and the identification of corruption ties between the traffic police and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. He posted revealing videos about the work of police officers filmed on.

Scandal in the Samara hotel

In one of the hotels in the city of Samara, a scandal involving a famous Moscow street racer was filmed. And interestingly, the quarrel began due to the fact that the administrator of the institution did not recognize the “popular personality”. This circumstance so outraged the company in the hall that they began not only to insult the middle-aged woman, but to threaten with reprisals. Later, Eric and his comrades retired from the hotel.

It would seem that the outcome of the story should have been an apology from the brawlers, however, repentance did not happen. In addition, an innocent woman was fired from her job.

The arrest of the famous video blogger of the owner of the show.ru

Erik Davidovich was sentenced to two months' arrest. The detention will last at least until April 20 this year. Such a decision was issued by the Tverskoy Court in Moscow.

Erik Davidich has been charged with fraud on an especially large scale. The lawyer of the person involved in the case said that he did not admit the guilt of his ward. Sergey Zhorin believes that the case against Eric was fabricated due to the publication of an investigation film about corruption in the traffic police and car theft. The film consists of three parts and on the eve of the publication of the last, the blogger was taken into custody.

The criminal case relates to a 2008 car insurance trial. In addition, the founder of Smotra.ru was suspected of involvement in the attempt on the life of the head of Ingushetia, which his fans consider a completely surprising circumstance.

Kituashvili said at the trial that he understood perfectly well what the outcome of his getting involved in this corruption story could be. But he cannot put up with this state of affairs in the country, when the authorities make money on public roads, our lives, and despite the mortal danger, he will continue to spread information.

Eric's associates believe that his detention and arrest are related to the investigations he is conducting. They express bewilderment and call for a fair trial. There were more than 200 people near the courthouse who believed in the blogger's honesty and innocence.

What is Erik Davidovich accused of?

According to investigators, the crime occurred in 2008. The accused, together with accomplices (persons not identified), allegedly staged the theft of an expensive vehicle. Then he submitted to the insurance company, of course, deliberately false documents. As a result of the proceedings, a large amount of money was transferred to the account of the deceivers, as a result of which the company suffered large losses. The Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that Kituashvili may be involved in the commission of 10 such frauds.

The situation at the court

Supporters of the founder of smotra.ru and his lawyers suspect that the investigators have no evidence of his guilt, and this is due to the strange behavior of the court. Access to the court was restricted and no one was allowed to attend the hearing. They took a non-disclosure agreement from the lawyers, which once again casts doubt on the veracity of the accusations. Kituashvili was detained on the same day that an application was filed against him, although he did not intend to hide. But nevertheless, law enforcement agencies carried out a whole special operation to detain him.

The lawyers at the meeting insisted on house arrest and offered 10,000,000 rubles as a pledge. They drew attention to the fact that the testimony of the main witness was questionable, but the court rejected their petitions. And even Eric's assurances of his law-abidingness could not improve the situation, and he was not released from custody.

The opinion and actions of the lawyers of the famous street racer

The street racer's defense is trying to get a decision to cancel the arrest of the ward, because he believes that the court simply does not have evidence of his guilt. Zhorin appealed against the arrest of Davidich, but he cannot name the grounds because he gave a receipt in court on non-disclosure of the case materials. The lawyer believes that if everything is fair, the well-known blogger should be released from custody.

When asked about the readiness for defense, the lawyer says that he was not even going to prepare for it. He believes that now it is inexpedient, since the main task of the police was to arrest Davidich, and on what grounds it is not so important. Moreover, Ingosstrakh, from where the statement to the police allegedly came from, refutes this information.

The vice president of the company said: “A week ago we went to the police with allegations of fraud, but not against this person. This is a common practice in our organization. When fraud is suspected, the security service provides information to law enforcement for verification.

Lawyers and the accused himself believe that the case is fabricated and is the revenge of law enforcement agencies. Last year, the blogger posted two revealing films about the police. In them, he talks about the corruption and lawlessness that is happening at the top of the traffic police. And a few days before the arrest, he announced the release of the third part of the investigation.

Zhorin visited Davidich in the pre-trial detention center. According to the lawyer, the blogger is cheerful and determined to go to the end. One of the issues they discussed was the third film. Kituashvili said to publish the film even though he is in custody. The lawyer also promised that in the near future the revealing series will be freely available on the network and it will be a “bomb”.

What do people say about the situation with the arrest of Erik Davidovich?

Supporters of the blogger hope that justice will prevail. In their opinion, Davidich does good, helps drivers and protects the country from lawlessness. And although his character is imperfect, he does his job for the benefit of ordinary drivers, proving that they also have their rights and traffic police officers - this is not the ultimate truth.

But there are those who consider the blogger an ordinary "cattle", and everything that is happening around him is nothing more than just promotion, raising the rating. People are perplexed where a simple kid has so much money, because his parents are not oligarchs either. There are suggestions that Eric has a rich and influential patron, who provided him with a "golden car" and continues to pay for all his actions.

Whether Davidich does good or evil, they will be dealt with in court, and supporters can only hope for the honesty and incorruptibility of law enforcement agencies. Lawyers are trying to secure his release from arrest and prove that the case has no evidence, but is only the traffic police's response to the blogger's exposing films.

Latest news about the arrest of Erik Davidovich

Eric's arrest sparked outrage on social media. On February 22, 2016, Kituashvili's followers posted a petition on the Internet asking the President of Russia to immediately release the detainee. The online document was signed within 6 hours by 30,000 users outraged by the event. The measure of restraint imposed by the court in the form of detention did not suit the side of the accused person, and on February 24 his lawyers appealed against the decision. Consideration of the complaint filed by Sergei Zhorin is scheduled for March 16.

Criminal case against Eric's followers for threatening "murder"

The furious outrage of Kituashvili's fans spilled over into the online space, where they began to create web pages used to post threats against journalists filming revealing stories. Immediate threats were made to Maxim Makin - netizens described him as a rat. Taking into account the aggressive nature and personalization of statements, the investigators decided to open a criminal case, qualifying the actions of individuals as a threat of deprivation of life or causing harm to health. Criminal proceedings were opened on March 15 at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moscow.

Death threats in the pre-trial detention center - Eric settles in "Matrosskaya Tishina"

A day later, on March 16, 2016, on the day of the consideration of the appeal regarding the illegal detention of Erik Davidovich in a pre-trial detention center, the detainee's lawyer disseminated information about the psychological pressure exerted on his client in the Matrosskaya Tishina pre-trial detention center.
Mr. Zhorin announced the content of his ward in a building inhabited by prisoners with HIV and tuberculosis. Kituashvili is in the same cell with the killers and receives threats of physical violence. There are facts of extortion of money under the threat of violence. Eric was placed in a four-bed cell with murderers, car thieves and drug addicts. The client of the lawyer Zhorin needed visits from a psychologist, a medical record was drawn up for him, in which they made a note about suicidal tendencies.
The human rights activist is preparing a statement to the prosecutor's office with a complaint about Eric's inappropriate content, which is contrary to the law. The detained citizen is forbidden to stay in the cell on his own, transferring to the place of detention of other prisoners during the walks of his neighbors. The Moscow City Court, having considered the appeal of Kituashvili's defense on March 16, decided to leave unchanged the measure of restraint chosen by the Tverskoy Court in the form of detention. Now Erik Davidovich will be guaranteed to be held in a pre-trial detention center until 04/20/2016.
A day later, on March 17, lawyer Sergei Zhorin, suspected by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of disclosing investigative secrets, was already charged. A pre-investigation check has been appointed with the possible initiation of a criminal case under Art. 310 of the Criminal Code of Russia. The lawyer insists on his innocence and assures that he disseminated data that had been widely publicized before him.

Human rights activists took Kituashvili under round-the-clock surveillance

The death threats against Kituashvili did not go unnoticed by his supporters, who have established monitoring of the content of the blogger since March 20, taking him under protection through round-the-clock video surveillance. The Metropolitan Observatory Public Commission (ONC) came with a check to the pre-trial detention center where Eric is being held. The activists insisted on transferring the founder of Smotra.ru to a cell in a special block equipped with a video surveillance system. Here he is kept with three cellmates who are accused of a crime on less serious charges than the previous neighbors.
There are no more claims to the content, but human rights activists are concerned about the health of Eric, who looks depressed, answers questions in monosyllables, sometimes content with nods and gestures. Here there is no opportunity to take medicines prescribed by a doctor, and the environment in the pre-trial detention center has a depressing effect. Kituashvili's internal state is complicated by the impossibility of contacting a seriously ill mother, for whom there is no one to take care of except him. The Matrosskaya Tishina detention center is not equipped with telephones required by law.

Erik Davidovich's common-law wife arrested

The police launched an active operation, detaining Eric's girlfriend, Anna Kaganskaya, on March 24. The citizen is accused in the case of 2011, she is charged with fraud on an especially large scale. The investigation accuses Anna of staging a vehicle theft and illegally receiving 3,000,000 rubles from an insurance company.
The investigator's petition for arrest was considered in the Tverskoy Court, where lawyer Zhorin, at a meeting, handed over Kituashvili's suicide notes to Kaganskaya, compiled by him after receiving death threats in the pre-trial detention center. Eric's common-law wife, during interrogation by investigators, refused to testify against the detained blogger. The woman said that she did not want to become a traitor, besides, she simply had nothing to say to the investigation.
Anna was offered a deal, promising to let her go if she shared compromising evidence. Now Kaganskaya is being held in a pre-trial detention center under normal conditions, but she does not feel well, due to actively developing eczema. Searches at the place of residence of the common-law wife of Kituashvili revealed the presence of documents of interest to the investigation.

Formal charges filed

On April 1, employees of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moscow formally charged Eric Kituashvili with embezzlement of funds on an especially large scale as part of a criminal group. The accused, according to investigators, together with accomplices staged the theft of three vehicles:
BMW M5L;
Lexus LS430;
Mercedes SL 55 AMG.
Presenting false documents to the insurer, the criminals demanded compensation from the companies, which was later transferred to their accounts in Moscow banks. The charge was brought under article 159.5 part 4 of the Criminal Code of Russia - insurance fraud. The total damage from illegal actions amounted to 7,000,000 rubles. Anna Kaganskaya was charged under an identical article on the same day.