Russian police have forced more than a dozen women to strip naked in front of the male officers in the suspicion of protesting against President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine. At least 20 women in Nizhny Novgorod were humiliated by the police on the suspicion that they opposed the Ukraine war.
Their lawyer has claimed that they were subjected to the disregarding treatment after being rounded up near a rally in the city of Nizhny Novgorod as women police officers ordered them to strip.
During the incident, cell doors were open and male officers were passing by. The alleged abuse was also captured on the cell cameras. While the men detained at the same time were not ordered to strip.
Lawyer Olimpiada Usanova stated that she was outraged that each of the women was searched in a humiliating way at the detention centre, violating our legislation. The females were searched by undressing and squatting five times in the presence of a detention center officer, according to Daily Mail.
Women Were Forced to Take Off Their Panties
She also revealed that a second humiliating search was conducted several hours later in the cells and the women were forced to lift up their shirts, take off their panties, and bare their breasts in the camera surveillance area, the report added.
She also expressed her concerns that when some women were being examined, the female officers didn't close the door, giving chance to the male officers to lurk there. The lawyer went on to say that the male officers would have also watched the cell camera footage of the strip searches.
Women Were Forced to Undress Again Next Day
"The girls were forced to strip naked and crouch down. And the next day, they were made to undress again, turning out their bras. This is despite the fact that every cell has CCTVs. This is a severe violation," said Usanova.
The women, aged between 18 to 25, were forced to pay fines of up £215 for allegedly attending a banned anti-war rally.
Usanova also revealed that a collective lawsuit has been filed against the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Nizhny Novgorod, demanding compensation for moral damage for violation of rights and humiliation.
