Crimean activist Igor Movenko was charged under Part 2 of Article 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (public calls for the implementation of extremist activities). According to the Crimean human rights group, Igor is currently under a written undertaking not to leave the place.
Under this article, Igor faces up to 5 years in prison. The criminal case against Igor Movenko was opened for the comment, which he posted in the group “Crimea-Ukraine” in the social network Vkontakte. The comment was written in the summer of 2016 and expressed the pro-Ukrainian position of Movenko.
Recall that on 7 September, 2016 Movenko was beaten in Sevastopol for the placed symbols of the battalion “Azov” on the frame of his bicycle. Police and ambulance were called to the scene. The Crimean citizen got to the hospital. Doctors diagnosed open cranio-cerebral injury, brain concussion, fracture of the base of the skull, jaw fracture, closed fracture of the bones of the nose, eye contusion of the eyeball and other injuries.
The attacker on Movenko called himself as a police officer. However, the case for beating the Ukrainian was not opened. Instead, a hearing was held in the Gagarinsky District Court of Sevastopol on 22 September, where the injured Mavenko was fined 2000 rubles “for distributing Nazi symbols.”
The Crimean resident tried to force the police officers to initiate a case on the fact of his beating. He wrote official letters to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor’s Office and the police of Sevastopol. However, the case was not initiated.
On 16 December, 2016, in Sevastopol, FSS officers came to Igor Movenko work place and took him with them. Also, employees of the security department seized Igor’s working computer. Employees of the FSS told his wife that they were taking Igor Movenko to the Sevastopol FSS department. Zhenya Movenko was forbidden to communicate with her husband, but she managed to report that he was beaten, threatened to be placed in the pre-detention centre if he does not confess to extremism.
During the search that was conducted that day at Movenko’s home, the laptop, home computer hard drives, sim-cards and packaging from the launch package were confiscated. They also took Igor’s mobile phone. The search was conducted by 7 people. During the search, two witnesses were present in the apartment. FSS officers were videotaping in Movenko’s apartment.
