The Russian Interior Ministry accused on Tuesday media outlets of seeking to discredit the country’s OMON special police, often described as the equivalent to the U.S.’s SWAT teams.
The statement came after Russia’s The New Times magazine published on Monday an article claiming that the OMON Zubr (Bison) detachment made use of slave labor.
Former OMON employee Larisa Krepkova said that officers captured migrants from ex-Soviet republics and forced them to work at the detachment’s near-Moscow base. She also said they were put to work at the country homes of top police officials.
Krepkova, who was an OMON dog handler for six years, claimed that any of the “slaves” who tried to escape were severely beaten.
The OMON was formed in 1979 as a counter-terrorist group ahead of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. OMON members receive intensive weapons and hand-to-hand combat training.
The article came shortly after a New Times story based on the testimonies of current and former officers alleged widespread corruption within the OMON. It also detailed “standing orders” to destroy any protest rally banners against President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minster Vladimir Putin. The OMON have often been criticized for their “heavy-handed” tactics in dispersing opposition rallies.
Both stories were widely publicized in the Russian media.
On February 1 the magazine published an open letter to President Dmitry Medvedev, signed by five identified OMON officers, complaining that they were forced to work “15-20 days in a row, for 20 hours a day.”
An Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Monday that the ministry would sue the magazine for libel.
“The Interior Ministry considers that a number of media outlets have launched a campaign aimed at discrediting the OMON,” a press release said.
It also said that the officers who made the complaints were disgruntled former employees who had been dismissed over discipline problems. It added that OMON officers from the Zubr detachment planned to meet in the near future to discuss the articles, after which they would release their own statement.
The accusations echo the case of police officer Alexei Dymovsky, who hit the headlines across Russia last September after he went online to accuse his bosses and colleagues of corruption.
He also appealed to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to take action. The recording was posted on YouTube.com with English subtitles and drew international media attention.
Shortly after posting his claims, Dymovsky, from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk, was fired for "libel and action that tarnishes the image of the police force." Dymovsky was then arrested on January 22 on charges of fraud and abuse of office carrying a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
The reputation of the Russian police force has declined dramatically in recent years. In just over 18 months, Russian police officers have been convicted or charged with burning a suspect to death, shooting sprees, a beheading, and rape.
Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev used his annual Police Day address last November to remind police chiefs that officers should point their weapons at criminals, and not aim them at law-abiding citizens. Shortly after this, he advised ordinary citizens to “give as good as they get” if they are attacked for no reason by officers.
MOSCOW, February 23 (RIA Novosti
