
Advertisement

Anton Ilyushchenko: Omsk is an ordinary provincial city with a population of a bit more than a million people.How did you find these photos?
I found the photographs via a link that was posted on an internet forum for the Omsk area. The link led to a group on VKontakte, Russia’s most popular social media site.
Advertisement


No, I had no idea they’d have this sort of impact. I thought I’d just discuss the situation with the people who read my blog. And suddenly there were all these reposts across the whole country. If I’d known that the police would investigate me, then I probably wouldn't have put up the post.Yeah, I figured that might be the case. Tell us a bit about the case against you. What happened with the cops?
I got a call and was asked to make an appearance at Lenin Police Station in Omsk. The pretext was that my name had been linked to the distribution of narcotics over the internet. I’ve never done anything like that. When I actually appeared at the station on the summons, the investigator asked me a bunch of questions about the uproar around the photos from the club. They’d never heard anything about the drugs business and simply shrugged.


Yeah. I said, “Some coworker of yours called me and said I needed to appear about this drugs issue and you’re talking about another thing.” The investigator said he didn’t know anything about this. I still don’t understand why they went about it that way. I don’t hide anything. If I had been warned about what the situation really was, I’d still have come in and given a statement.I told the police that I saw the photographs on a social networking site and that they'd been discussed on the Omsk forum. They asked me if I could define the word pornography. I answered that I couldn’t give an exact definition and refrained from answering. I said that the pictures of the drunk and naked people had shocked me. They’ve already called me into the station to give statements three times, although until now only as a witness.
Advertisement

The Ministry opened a criminal case due to the fact that pornography was distributed. They still don’t really understand who to blame.Is it true that the owner of Everest is a former cop? Do you think that might have had a bearing on the decision to start a criminal case?
I had heard that the owner of the Everest Café had worked in the police before. More to the point, in the very same police station where they had started their investigation. The police denied this. I don’t know why they started a criminal investigation, but it’s possible that that was the reason.Some people think you’ve shown Omsk in a bad light. What do you think of that?
It’s not me who’s put Omsk in bad light. I just showed the city as it is.

They’re vile and repellent.Have you ever been to the Everest yourself?
I popped in there twice before, but I didn’t see any of the sort of anarchy [you see] in the photos.

No. Not at all. In all the definitions of pornography you find in decent sources, they mention the arousal of sexual desire. Personally, I don’t experience any such desire looking at these photos. And I didn’t want to incite any sort of desire in my readers. I see here only filth and people behaving like bloody animals. These photos bring up disgust, not arousal.
Advertisement
Porn is the depiction of sex with close-ups of the sexual organs. There’s nothing like that in these photos.

Distributing pornography is illegal under our laws. OK. I see from your blog that you’re in Kazakhstan now. Are you planning on coming home? Russian courts don’t have the best reputation over here.
I’m already back in Russia, actually. I don’t have the resources to stay out of the country for a long period of time.





I’m not afraid to fight for the truth.What kind of support have you recieved from your fellow Russians?
I’ve gotten support from a huge number of people. They’ve said they’re even willing to take to the streets for me. I want to say a big thank-you to all the people who support me. Together we’ll achieve justice!Thanks for talking to me, Anton. Good luck and take care!More stuff about nightclubs:I Went to "the Club" for the First Time EverLiving In a Nightclub For a Year Can Get MessyThings That Need to Disappear from Dancefloors Forever