Humanité journalist attacked

On the 13 November at around 11 o’clock in the morning, Carine Clément was attacked by two young men, who stuck a syringe into her thigh. Police are currently examining the contents of the syringe. Director of the The Institute of Collective Action and a member of the activist network Soviets Coordination Union of Russia, Carine Clément is also the special contributing correspondent for L’Humanité, in Moscow. Since 2005, she has supported the development of social initiatives and independent unions.

This attack is the third since the 24th October, and on the eve of a day dedicated to social rights, taking place in around forty towns in Russia. The attack against Carine Clément is part of a coordinated effort to bring social militants into line.

On the same day, three others were also attacked. The journalist Mikhaïl Beketov, who fights for the protection of the Khimki forest, is currently fighting for his life. Sergueï Fedotov, head of an association for disenfranchised small business owners, only just escaped being beaten up with baseball bats. Alexeï Etmanov, one of the founders of a recently established union at Ford, managed to fend off an attack with an iron bar.

« Hundreds of activists, working more or less anonymously for causes related to housing, work, anti-corruption, ecology, and land rights, in the majority of regions in Russia, have been affected by these methods », explained Carine in an email. A petition condemning the situation is circulating on the internet (info@ikd.ru). The newspaper is keen to express its solidarity with Carine Clément and wishes her a speedy recovery.