Court hearing on Mykola Semena case was postponed

Zheleznodorozhnyi District Court of Simferopol postponed the consideration of the criminal case against journalist Mykola Semena until February 28.

As reported by reporter of the Human Rights Information Centre, court appointed such decision after intercession of lawyer Emil Kurbedinov.

Kurbedinov explained to the court that all his equipment was seized during the search, which happened on January 26, thus he was unable to fully prepare for a defense. Intercession was supported by the Prosecutor.

Mykola Semena himself, while estimating his criminal persecution, emphasized that the article, in which he is accused, was adopted at the time when Russia had a lot of open territorial issues. Russia should have solved them first and take care of its territorial integrity afterwards. He also added that the ownership issue of Crimea to this day remains debatable for millions of people and that he only was a participant in such discussion.

As a reminder, on February 15, twenty seven human rights organizations, united in the Civic Solidarity Platform, expressed their support for the Crimean journalist Mykola Semena, who faces imprisonment for five years for daring to express his opinion.

Authors of the statement remind that trial of Crimean journalist Mykola Semena will begin on February 17. He will be tried for courage to publicly express his opinion, which is contrary to the Kremlin’s policy. His publications on Radio Liberty on the situation in Crimea entailed anger of the Russian authorities. He was charged with calls for the violation of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation through the means of mass media. He is facing imprisonment for a term of five years.

As a reminder, in spring, massive searches took place in Crimea, including in the independent journalists who are suspected of collaboration with Krym.Realii. A criminal case was opened with respect to the Radio Liberty’s author Mykola Semena on suspicion of threatening the territorial integrity of Russia. Russian investigation forbade him to leave the peninsula. 

On August 23, his defense submitted a request to FSB to allow Semena to leave Crimea for medical treatment.

Previously International and European Federation of Journalists, as well as the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Speech, also had requested to allow the journalist to get medical treatment in Kyiv.

Crimean department of FSB refused to satisfy the request of the journalist.

On November 28, Semena could not visit Brussels to receive the European Prize for the freedom of speech named after Pavlo Sheremet because of the ban on travel outside Crimea.

On January 20, Semena was presented an indictment in the case of separatism under the Article 280.1 of the Criminal Code of Russia (Public appeals for the performance of extremist activity). Lawyer Kurbedinov stated that the indictment was presented in violation of the Criminal-Procedural Code: document must have been presented by representative of Prosecutor’s Office, while the indictment was presented in the administrative building by FSB investigator Oleksandr Parshutin.