The HRC demands not to use special equipment at protest actions

"Stop the use of special equipment when detaining peaceful participants in events, regardless of their slogans and in the absence of violent actions on their part", - said in a statement by members of the HRC, posted on the website "Echo of Moscow".

The authors of the appeal urge "to begin official and procedural checks on the facts of abuse of office, obstructing the work of lawyers and journalists, not only in those cases when applications about this are submitted, but also according to information available in the media".

In addition, the document says about the need to "ensure timely access of lawyers to the building and special detention centers in which persons brought or serving an administrative sentence are located, to prohibit the practice of obstructing journalists in the performance of their professional activities".

The applicants offer to cooperate with observers from public human rights organizations, who have identification marks and instructions from organizations, in resolving conflicts during public actions.

"We call on the protesters and local authorities to negotiate in search of compromises to coordinate public events in order to avoid the escalation of violence in public life. The members of the Council are ready to act as mediators in organizing and conducting such negotiations", - the authors of the document indicate.

Note that over 500 scientists, including ten academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, spoke out against police violence at protest actions. They wrote an open letter, in which, among other things, they spoke out against the persecution of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as well as against the use of force against participants in peaceful rallies in support of him.