Security officers visit ‘Crimean saboteurs’ in absence of their lawyers

Unknown investigators visit so-called “Crimean saboteurs” Yevhen Panov and Andriy Zakhtey in the Lefortovo remand prison in Moscow in the absence of their lawyers.

This was reported by member of the Public Oversight Commission of Moscow Zoya Svetova, referring to imprisoned Ukrainians.

According to her, when Yevhen Panov told the monitors about the visits of investigators, a remand prison employee, who was present during the conversation, grabbed the prisoner by the shoulders and forced him out of the ward, where the meeting was being held.

“Well, that was just like in Gestapo,” the Russian human rights defender commented and added that the jailer had no right to interrupt a visit.

As reported, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in August that Yevhen Panov and Andriy Zakhtey were accused of alleged plotting terrorist acts in the occupied Crimea.

According to human rights activists, Panov had been tortured for several days and then incriminated himself. The special services recorded the video with his testimony.

Crimean Human Rights Group coordinator Olha Skrypnyk stated that such methods of torture had been used against Gennady Afanasyev, Oleg Sentsov, Andriy Kolomiets, and Oleksandr Kostenko.

August 15, it was reported that the number of detainees in “the case of plotting acts of sabotage” in the Russian-occupied Crimea had increased up to nine people.

According to the Ukrainian human rights activists, at least 29 Ukrainians, including 15 Crimean Tatars, still stay behind bars in Russia after Nadiya Savchenko, Hennadiy Afanasyev, and Yuri Soloshenko were released.