Defendants in ‘case of February 26’ held in detention without court ruling – lawyer
Defendants in the “case of February 26” Ahtem Chiygoz, Ali Asanov and Mustafa Degermendzhi are unlawfully held in detention for two days already.
The term of their detention expired on March 8, Chiygoz’s lawyer Nikolai Polozov posted on his Facebook.
He recalled that Chiygoz had been arrested on January 29 last year and the court had been constantly extending the arrest term since then. The judges delivered last such judgment on January 25 this year. The term of detention expired two days ago.
Although Chiygoz should have already been at liberty, he is still held in Simferopol’s prison without any court ruling.
“Their former doubtful status of the accused yesterday turned into quite tangible and real status of the hostages,” Polozov wrote on Facebook.
As reported, defendant in the “case of February 26” Ahtem Chiygoz faces 8-15 years in prison. Ali Asanov, Mustafa Degermendzhi, as wells as a number of defendants in the case not under arrest – Eskender Kantemirov, Eskender Emirvaliev, Arsen Yunusov – face a sentence of up to 8 years in prison. Earlier, defendants in the case and Talat Yunusov and Eskender Nebiev, pleaded guilty, were sentenced to 2.5 years of probation.
They are accused of participating in riots near the building of the Crimean Parliament on February 26, 2014. Then, two protesters were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of the Russian authorities.
February 15, “prosecutor of Crimea” Natalia Poklonskaya filed a lawsuit to ban the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars.
