Crimean prosecutor’s office threatens to punish Ukrainians for participation in events dedicated to Independence Day
Activist of the Ukrainian Cultural Center of Crimea Leonid Kuzmin has received a warning notice from the prosecutor of Simferopol about the inadmissibility of organizing and holding public events on occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine.
Kuzmin wrote about this on his Facebook page, posting a copy of the notice.
“According to the data, received by the Russian Federal Security Service, regarding the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, the heads of the public association ‘Ukrainian Cultural Centre’ plan to conduct the public events, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine on August 24, 2016… It is illegal to hold the public events having not coordinated them with the executive authorities of the Republic of Crimea,” the document reads.
The notice was signed by Acting Prosecutor of Simferopol Stanislav Kulibaba.
As mentioned in the document, March 4, 2016, Kuzmin was already warned of the inadmissibility to violate the law on combating extremist activity and the law on assemblies and rallies.
In July, the activist was summoned to the FSB department, and signed the pledge of secrecy after that meeting.
Leonid Kuzmin was previously detained at the rally commemorating Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Simferopol. He and several other activists were tried in a Simferopol court and sentenced for using the Ukrainian symbols – the yellow and blue flags and ribbons – during the rally.
The Ukrainian Cultural Center in Crimea was established after Russia had annexed the peninsula. It is a non-governmental organization, aiming to preserve the language and culture of the Ukrainian people. The center does not pursue any political goals.
