Дорогие друзья,
со мной случилось нечто ужасное, и СМИ пишут про меня, но никто не спрашивал лично меня о том, что же произошло? Я очень боюсь, и не знаю, что может со мною случиться. Я написала текст, который я надеюсь, объяснит ситуацию. Пожалуйста, распространяетесь его. Это будет огромная помощь.
Спасибо!

Катя

I would like to refute the press furore about me which is accusing me of putting up political posters in Samara. I have just been released from 10 hours of interrogation in a Samaran police station and have seen that many Russian newspapers have accused me of this act without hearing what actually happened.

 I am a PhD student working on Russian history and politics. I came to Samara on 31^st October to visit the city and enhance my knowledge of Russian culture and society. Though friends in St. Petersburg, I ended up staying with a local man, with whom I quickly became friends.

Yesterday evening, my new friend was driving the two of us around the town, pointing out historic sights and lesser known places of interest, as we had done several times during my visit. We got out of the car at one long boulevard with a lot of interesting memorials on it. As we were walking, we came across a group of young people, who seemed friendly. They asked me if I’d like to come walking with them, as they were putting up posters.

Stupidly, I didn’t think to ask what kind of posters they were. This was a huge mistake, and I freely and wholeheartedly admit it.  My friend disappeared; I later understood after I left the police station that he felt sick and had gone home to sort himself out. I walked up the boulevard with these young people for a few moments, when suddenly one of them shouted ‘Run’! Someone pushed the papers into my hands and the group disappeared. Frightened, I tried to run with them but the police caught me and one other man, whom I had only met that evening.

I was kept in the police station in very good conditions, with plenty of water, and access to a toilet. The police were friendly and polite and I don’t have any complaints about what happened during those ten hours. I repeated what happened to many different officers and hope that this awful mess will soon be forgotten.

От редакции: Большинство СМИ цитируют это сообщение ГУВД по Самарской области. В настоящее время Кэтрин Оуэн находится в Москве.