Security officials in St. Petersburg have reportedly admitted to mistreating an anti-fascist activist in detention saying it was a necessary part of doing their jobs.<\/p>\n
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Viktor Filinkov accused<\/a> Federal Security Service (FSB) officers of torture after being detained on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government in January. The government’s official prison watchdog, the Public Monitoring Commission, recorded burns on Filinkov\u2019s body.<\/p>\n \u201cThe FSB acknowledged electric shock marks on Filinkov\u2019s body, but explained it as a professional necessity,\u201d the St. Petersburg-based Fontanka.ru news website\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0Wednesday, citing the FSB officers\u2019 testimony to investigators.<\/p>\n The officers said that only a stun gun could have stopped Filinkov from resisting arrest and attempting to escape, the outlet cited FSB officials\u2019 testimony to the Investigative Committee.<\/p>\n The liberal opposition Yabloko party has\u00a0identified<\/a>\u00a0Filinkov as one of several activists who have been subjected to political repressions in St. Petersburg in recent months.<\/p>\n The report comes a week after another St. Petersburg-based activist\u00a0accused<\/a>\u00a0the FSB of torture and fled to Finland.<\/p>\n