Court left Crimean activist Balukh in custody

Court of the occupied-Crimea upheld the decision to extend the arrest of Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh until March 4.

As reported by journalist Anton Naumlyuk on his Facebook page.

According to him, Russian-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea only today considered the appeal of Balukh’s defense against the extension of arrest, which was filed last month. Court prohibited filming during the court hearing.

“Everything that is happening, along with the third search, is the pressure on me… It is not so difficult to discover the appeal and cassation complaints, in order to see that even a year ago I was threatened to plant ammunition and weapons in my house, to do the things that they have done right now. To deprive me of funds and life, but my spirit cannot be broken”, as Naumlyuk has quoted Balukh’s words during the court hearing.

As reported by the Crimean Human Rights Group, the court considered two complaints against the decision to extension of Balukh’s arrest, which were filed on December 27, 2016, and February 3, 2017. Both appeals were dismissed. Both judgments were decided by judge Timur Slezko.

As a reminder, On December 8, 2016, FSB conducted a 4 hour search in the house of Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh and his mother and “found” 90 rounds of ammunition and several TNT blocks in the attic of the Balukh’s house. Searches were conducted before, each time during the searches they took down the Ukrainian flag from his roof and seized it. There is reason to believe that the FSB officers planted the ammunition during the search in order to falsification of a new criminal case against the activist.

On December 12 Razdolnensky District Court of Crimea under control of Russian authorities has chosen a measure of restraint for Balukh in the form of detention for a period of 30 days. The court disregarded the fact that the procedural documents were drafted with significant violations and that on the content of Volodymyr is his old mother, who is 73 years old.

On December 14 investigator in the presence of a lawyer charged the Ukrainian under the part 1 of Art. 222 of the Criminal Code. Crimean does not agree with accusations and does not plead guilty.

On December 26 Crimean Human Rights Group reported that Balukh suffers from chronic bronchitis, which intensified in the crowded jail cell.