Today, on 3 February, 2017, the judge of “Razdolnenskiy District Court” Alexander Abelyashev extended the preventive measure in the form of detention for another month, until 4 March for Ukrainian activist Vladimir Baluch. At the court hearing the Ukrainian was delivered from the pre-detention centre in Simferopol.
Previously the same judge Abelyashev have chosen preventive measure for the activist, and later extended it until 5 February 2017.
Crimean human rights group repeatedly reported that keeping Baluch in pre-detention centre is a threat to his health. On 17 January in the detention centre in Simferopol, he suffered an acute attack of kidney stones, and he was putted on a drip in the medical unit.
According to the Baluch defence, there is no reason to keep him in pre-detention centre. The lawyer appealed the trial court’s decision and asked the “Supreme Court” of Crimea to replace the measure for the Ukrainian of restraint in the house arrest, but the “court” rejected.
Recall, that on 8 December Russian Federal Security Service agents searched the homes of Vladimir Baluch and his mother. After the searches the activist was detained. On 12 December “Razdolnensky District Court” chose the measure of restraint for him in the form of detention. Baluch was accused of “illegal possession of weapons, its main parts and ammunition” (Part 1 of Article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). CHRG stated about the obvious political persecution of Ukrainian activist. According to experts of the CHRG, in the actions of the judiciary and law enforcement agencies gross violations of international and also Russian criminal procedural law (which is de facto applied in Crimea) were found.
